Fisherwoman
by Seregunda
Summary: Not many people who spend their lives fishing with their one-eyed cat can say their fishing boat was rammed by the Kidd Pirates ship, and afterwards are slowly yet surely practically stalked across the Grand Line by said pirates. Coincidentally of course.
1. A simple fisherwoman

Seregunda: Thank you all you beautiful people who are reading this sentence! It means a lot because I know my summaries are not the most eye-catching in the world. And I know, I know. I'm in the middle of writing a story already, but I've seriously wanted to try this for a while sooo... I'm just going to write it anyway because I want to. This is my first One Pice fanfic, hence why I really wanted to start it, and I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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"_Ka-mo-me no sui-hei-san, na-ran-da suihei-san,_  
_shiroi boshi, shiroi shatsu, shiroi fuku,_  
_nami ni chappu chappu ukande-ru._

_Ka-mo-me no sui-hei-san, ka-ke-a-shi suihei-san,_  
_shiroi boshi, shiroi shatsu, shiroi fuku,_  
_nami o chappu chappu koete iku."_

The voice singing this light, airy song was good. Not amazing or soulful, and it wasn't the voice that would charm angels from the heavens either. But, the happiness behind the voice is what gives it it's quality.

Too bad it was miles away from any form of civilisation in the middle of the ocean with nobody to listen to it. Not that it bothered the singer in the slightest, who repeatedly sang those two verses because, as always, she never could remember the last two. Typically, it also happened to be her favourite song.

The girl in question was untangling the many knots from her fishing nets while sitting on the deck of her fishing boat, legs crossed, eyes squinted, and tongue peeking out the corner of her mouth every time she paused for a break between verses.

The boat itself was about three times the size of an average dinghy, tiny if there was a crew, but perfect for one person. From the outside, only the adequately-polished decking and the single cabin jutting up from it's surface could be seen. Inside the cabin, which was devoid of any form of door, one could see an opening in the floor roughly the size of a porthole that the end of a ladder could be seen poking up from eagerly.

A ginger cat with but one yellow eye sat on the boat's prow, letting the world know just how cranky it was with it's grim expression as the sea spray crashed up over the side, dampening it's fur and causing it's whiskers to droop more and more with each wave.

Eventually, it apparently grew too much for the feline who leaped to it's paws, hissing and spitting angrily, and stalked over to the girl untangling the fishing nets with it's crooked tail sticking straight up in the air, swishing with annoyance.

"Of course you're going to get wet if you sit up there, Taiga. Don't start sulking." the girl laughed obnoxiously at the haughty one-eyed cat's expense, who was now sitting next to her and licking every part of his body clean of seawater.

The only response she got was a flick of the tail in irritation. She ruffled his ears playfully before returning to her task at hand, that is until the cat began winding it's way around her legs. It was mewing pathetically, and trying with all it's might to look cute and adorable. It failed to such an extreme that the girl abaondoned her task laughing her head off before standing up and tutting at the sun which seemed to have made it's way halfway across the sky since she had last bothered to look at it.

"Hungry Taiga? I suppose we'd better get some grub, I forgot about lunch too." she no longer felt self-conscious talking to the cat like she had when he had first wandered aboard. Even though she knew he didn't understand a word she said, talking to it kept her sane out here at sea by herself in the middle of the Grand Line.

The girl hopped down the ladder in the cabin to find herself in a semi-decent kitchen with a hammock strung up in the corner of the room accompanied by a single set of drawers for her belongings. The stuff that didn't fit in there could be seen sitting on self-made shelves sticking out from the wall. It was quaint, but it was home.

"Here we go, some tuna that we caught yesterday!" the girl cheered, pulling out a whole silvery fish by the tail and waving it in Taiga's face. He seemed unamused, so she retracted her hand and set to cooking it thoroughly before cutting it into strips for the cat and stuffing it into a loaf of bread for herself and sitting down on a rickety chair next to an equally rugged looking table and ate at a pace that very few could beat.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Taiga chewing his food slowly and smiled inwardly. She knew it was childish of her, but some superstitions wore off on you. But the one about how a happy ship's cat being good luck has never let her down, so no point in chancing her arm now.

Just as she was drinking the water she had poured to finish up her meal, a loud thud sounded throughout her boat before most of her stuff fell from the shelves and shattered on the floor. She herself was sent flying backwards from the chair and hit the back of her skull against the wall with a resounding _crack_.

"WHO THE HELL WAS THAT?" she screeched, clutching the back of her head which was already beginning to show signs of a bump as she tore towards the ladder and practically threw herself out on deck to see what the fuss was about.

What she saw stopped her soon enough.

Thankfully, or regretfully, it wasn't a Sea King as she had expected. Instead, there was possibly the weirdest ship she had yet to see on the Grand Line staring back at her almost apologetically or regretfully. Normally these expressions would be impossible for any sailing vessel, but not so much when at the front of the ship you've got a giant skull embedded into the woodwork.

It was pretty big, but it was the weirdness that got to her before anything else. There were way bigger ships around every corner, but those bigger ships weren't adorned with gothic spikes, skulls and a weird jolly roger that looked like a mix between a pumpkin and a skull.

Suddenly, the urge to sing was lost to her when an almost spindly figure wearing a full-head white and blue striped helmet with a mane of blonde hair poking out the back leered over the front of their ship at her.

"It's alright, Captain. It's only a fishing boat." he drawled over his shoulder, clearly not even caring about the teenage girl glaring up at him furiously from about ten feet below him.

"Then why did we stop? Just plough right through, Killer!" that voice, she decided, ticked her off. It was arrogant and obviously belonged to a bastard who spent, by the looks of his ship and the one crew member she could see, way too much time listening to heavy metal.

"Oi bastard, it's just as easy to pass by you know!" she yelled up at him before cursing quietly and retreating rapidly into the cabin and fiddling around with something the masked man couldn't see.

To his immense surprise, the wooden fishing boat before him _reversed_ and moved to the port-side of their ship quickly. Probably some sort of propulsion method, seeing as there was no mast in sight on the smaller boat.

Killer moved swiftly to the side of the ship and looked over the edge of the ship again at the girl before frowning, not that anyone could see him do so. It was odd to see a single person on a small ship on the Grand Line, especially so far out to sea. Let alone some teenage girl.

He watched as she left the cabin only to glare up at the Kidd Pirates' ship again. Killer chuckled under his breath, she had an odd appearance to match it seems.

Her skin was weather-beaten and bronzed due to constant exposure to the elements, whatever those may be around here. Her height was indeterminable from his vantage point, but she seemed tall enough. Her hair was, of all colours, a deep purple. Her clothes were hardy and practical, consisting only of a red bandanna tied around her neck, a pair of loose denim shorts and a simple white tank top. She looked to be eighteen or nineteen. The most prominent thing about her right now though, was that scowl.

It simmered down to a plain frown after only a few seconds before she called up to him with a single question.

"Oi, what's the name of your crew?"

The masked man seemed taken aback, which made her feel slightly accomplished until she realised he could easily be laughing at her and she wouldn't know the difference.

"Kidd Pirates." he finally answered, seeing no harm in just giving the name.

"Right. I knew your jolly roger was a new one." she turned, seemingly satisfied with simply that before turning around again and allowing the scowl back on her face.

"Taiga, get right back down here! They're not going to feed you!" she scolded, and Killer's body froze, finally sensing another presence near him. He didn't even know she had company on that little boat!

So of course as soon as he sensed movement to his right he turned swiftly, scythes twirling only to stop in disbelief.

Sitting before him was possibly the mangiest, fattest and battle-worn cat he had seen in his life. It's one eye had a pompous look to it, as if laughing that Killer had made even the tinest slip-up. As if it had _planned _it.

And then, the look was gone and it hopped over the edge and down into it's owner's arms safely.

"Sorry for nearly giving you a heart attack, I know we're on the Grand Line but you can afford to relax a little." the girl was laughing. At _him_, Killer! She was either stupid, brave, or an extreme mix of both.

'I did not 'nearly have a heart attack'. What is your name?" Killer asked grudgingly, noting his captain's increasing impatience as he began to stalk over to his first mate.

"I'm Kishi. You?" she asked warily, eying the flame-red hair she could see approaching the masked man from behind. The man seemed as if he were about to respond when another cutting voice joined the conversation.

"Killer, I thought I said let's move! Leave the fisherman, and let's get the ship moving again!" he snapped without so much as looking over the edge at the girl below who hid a grin at the captain's behaviour. Definitely new to the Grand Line.

"Hopefully I'll see you again." she called up, the laughter evident in her voice. The captain, presumably this 'Kidd' guy, finally looked over the edge in surprise upon hearing a female voice.

"Oi bitch, what makes you think we'll bother with you?" the man called down and no matter how hard Kishi tried to squint to see what he looked like, it was no use. The sun was currently behind his head which obscured all his features other than that red hair of his so she couldn't tell what he looked like.

"Trust me, it's a compliment Mr. Kidd. Usually when I don't see someone for a while on the Grand Line, it means they're dead!" she chortled, only confirming Killer's beliefs and confusing Kidd somewhat. It wasn't every day someone travelled the Grand Line alone, and by the sounds of it she's been doing this for some time.

Kidd just stomped away without bothering any further with the odd girl alone in the fishing boat with the one eyed cat and ordered to sail immediately now that the 'roadblock' was moved.

Kishi watched as the ship moved slowly out of sight and shook her head. Newbies. The way their ship sailed alone proved the fact that it was their first time here, every second or so the ship's trajectory would change, obviously in accordance with some sort of log pose. She began to whistle as she examined the side of her ship that had been hit for damage, eventually they'd figure out that cutting a simple corner wouldn't do too much harm to where they were going and didn't actually have to follow the thing _exactly_ to get where they were going.

Damn it. True as the blue she sailed on, there was a large dent in the hull.

"Ah, Pinta. Looks like I'll have to dock and get you all fixed up, huh?" Kishi sighed, and rubbed the old fishing boat's side affectionately. Right above where the name _Pinta _was painted in peeling gold cursive writing.

Taiga jumped up on the ledge beside her, and nuzzled her arm before meowing, demanding something. Of course, he wanted payment for his services.

"I just fed you, ungrateful little bastard." Kishi chuckled, and nudged the cat until he fell off the ledge in a huff and stalked up to the prow of the ship again. Clearly deciding the sea spray was less of an annoyance than the owner of the ship.

Kishi just shook her head with a sigh before mentally plotting the course she should take to the nearest port. Yukiryuu Island.

She had been planning on stopping there for new flea collar for Taiga anyway, so no biggie. Just the aching hole in her back pocket really, and probably the aching pain in her head too. If she remembered right, that was one of the islands Red Hair Shanks liked to hang out.

It had a decent-sized port with a lot of ocean-side shops and bars so she probably wouldn't have to look very far for either a place that sells repair stuff or a flea collar.

Smiling to herself, Kishi retreated into the cabin and began pulling levers and switching gears without so much as looking at a map or a log pose. She knew the Grand Line like the back of her hand, even the open ocean was something she could recognise as different in different areas.

She opened her mouth slowly as the ship began moving forward at a pace so steady no sailing ship could match it, and began just as joyfully as before as the wind pushed her hair back away from her face.

"_Ka-mo-me no sui-hei-san, na-ran-da suihei-san,_  
_shiroi boshi, shiroi shatsu, shiroi fuku,_  
_nami ni chappu chappu ukande-ru."_

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"What's this island called?" Eustass 'Captain' Kidd asked his first mate, as they hauled anchor up in the port of yet another small island with people nosier than they should be.

"Yukiryuu. I would advise to keeping a low profile while here Captain, Red Hair Shanks is known to stay here frequently for long periods of time." Killer quipped, releasing the chain fully and allowing the anchor to hit the seafloor as he spoke to his captain while the rest of the crew bustled about preparing to dock.

"Pfft. If he's so great why isn't _he_ the Pirate King? Screw him, he's just a Yonkou." the flame-haired pirate scoffed and leaped onto the wooden dock in a single movement, glaring at anybody who dared stare at him and the people that didn't too.

Killer refrained from saying that those who aim for the title of Pirate King are usually mentally unstable in some form or another, so this Shanks character is probably just happy with what he has. And being a Yonkou is a hell of a lot to have. Not that he said anything of course. His captain is probably the _most_ mentally unstable captain on the Grand Line right now, which meant he was probably the next best candidate for Pirate King.

As Killer and the rest of the crew followed their captain's example and moved onto the island, each in search of something or other, they completely failed to miss the small fishing boat with a cranky one-eyed ginger cat at the prow pull into the port moments after they left.

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Seregunda: Well, do you like it so far? I accept flames, as long as they are constructive. Actually, I love constructive flames! They make me better, so any advice, criticism etc. will be seriously appreciated. Or questions too I suppose, they're fine. Yukiryuu is a real island in One Piece, and Kishi's song 'Kamome no Suihei-san' is actually a real traditional seafaring song I found so no credit to me for that either!T-T Btw, Kamome no Suihei-san translates as 'Seagulls, the sailor men'. As mentioned above, this is my first One Piece fanfic, so please tell me if I'm writing the characters OOC or something, because that would make me a hypocrite because I hate reading OOC stuff too and I don't wanna be a hypocrite! R&R please, wonderful people!^-^


	2. What's new pussycat?

Seregunda: Thank you everybody who made it to the second chapter! This means my story is not a total fail, so yay! And thanks so much to those who reviewed: Footballstar0, Poseida Lunar, poisonliz, OnHisFaceIsAMapOfTheWorld and Msaju17.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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"Mrowr." Taiga was sitting at the prow of the ship once again, watching with disinterested eyes as Kishi anchored _Pinta_ safely and tied the small fishing boat to the mooring with quick, practiced hands.

"Watch the ship while I'm gone, will you?" Kishi grinned at the cat widely, who just stared blankly back at her for a few moments before stalking over to the boarding plank Kishi had set up and walking out onto Yukiryuu Island without so much as a second glance.

Kishi's grin faltered. "That cat is the fourth biggest bastard I've met in my entire life." she sighed and pulled her red bandanna from around her neck to the top of her head to keep her hair in place while looking for supplies, and followed the ginger cat out onto the dock.

As Kishi was looking at each of the ships in the harbour to see if anybody she knew had docked, she _had_ spotted more than one familiar ship, but one stuck out to her in particular.

"Looks like the newbies were boarding here after all." she mused, taking in once again the large skull at the forefront of the ship. There was a single crew member left to guard the ship, a man wearing dorky looking shades with a Mohawk. Kishi smiled over at him with a nod of her head, not really caring when all she got was a slightly annoyed look and a turned away head in return.

Taiga, spotting a few harbour cats outside a fishmonger's, left Kishi almost as soon as they arrived in favour of the company of his own kind.

Kishi shrugged it off, already used to this treatment by now, and wandered through the shore-side stalls and shops to find what she might need. Surprisingly, it was the repair tools that were the easiest to find. Found them within minutes of her arrival. The problem was the flea collar. You'd think something so simple would be easy to find, but apparently the inhabitants of Yukiryuu aren't big on pets.

And it didn't help that she had to stop and talk every few minutes to update the villagers she knew from her previous visits on how she's been doing. Smiling and nodding can take a lot out of you if you're doing it for too long a period of time.

Eventually, Kishi found a red one in one of those 20 beri shops. At this point, she didn't care if it clashed horribly with his fur or not. As long as it kept those fleas at bay, it did the job.

As Kishi walked down the middle of the street, she sang under her breath, not really able to help it once a song came to mind. It wasn't a song that generally suited her voice well, but it's not her problem. Not like she had to listen to it.

"_Why should I worry?_  
_Why should I care?_  
_I may not have a dime_  
_But, I got street savoire faire_  
_Why should I worry?_  
_Why should I care?_  
_It's just bebopulation_  
_And I got street saviore faire_

_The rhythm of the city_  
_But once you get it down_  
_Then you can own this town_  
_You can wear the crown-"_

Twirling the collar around her finger easily, Kishi stopped outside a bar called Blue Lagoon guiltily.

"I wonder how Ishida's doing, I haven't seen him in almost four months." she quipped, wondering whether she should enter the slightly grungy bar or leave it be.

Ishida had been an old friend of her grandfather's, then a friend of her father's and now a solid friend of her own. Apparently he used to be a bounty hunter, but had long since retired.

Guilt beat down her reluctance and Kishi pushed the doors open, the corner's of her mouth twitching upwards at the telltale sound of a service bell ringing the second she opened the door. Knowing the usual crowd that entered Ishida's bar, she didn't bother look around and simply made a beeline for the barstools by the counter. There was nobody serving right now, but knowing the speed old Ishida worked at, he'd be out right about...

"Kishi! It's absolutely wonderful to see ya!" a boisterous voice called out, bringing the entire pub's attention to rest on the purple-haired girl in an old man's headlock.

"Same to you, old man! Grip hasn't faded with age I see!" Kishi scoffed, genuinely struggling and failing to escape the old man's grip. He got bored after a while and released her, only to look the fisherwoman up and down, appraising her appearance.

"Haven't changed a bit, still dress like a slob and reek o' fish." Ishida sighed and pushed Kishi away morosely.

Kishi had to say, the old man looked every bit the ex-bounty hunter he was. Despite his age, muscles could be seen bulging through his shirt, his grey hair was thinning slightly at the front and he was head and shoulders over nearly everyone in the bar.

As the two continued their little reunion chat, four pairs of eyes and one mask watched, mildly interested in the show before them. The sixth person in their company had no interest, and was glaring broodingly at the cask of rum he gripped in his fist.

"So, ya got any trade for this old man? Or just a load of fish?" Ishida lowered his voice conspiratorially, which only served to make what he was asking for seem more suspicious.

"I don't have what you're looking for, but I got some stuff better than fish. Take a look at the haul later before I take off, same boat as always." Kishi smiled knowingly. Ishida's face lit up slightly at this comment but, despite this, he wouldn't be him if he didn't complain about it.

"Lazy girl, every time your _father _would visit he brought at least a scale. Once he even managed a fang!" Ishida scoffed, his voice returning to normal as he began waving his hands around.

"I _did _nab a fang this time, actually. I just figured the merchants on Ueryuu would give me a better price, seeing as _you'd_worm it out of me for free." Kishi poked the older man in the chest, who was now genuinely beginning to get annoyed.

"So the merchants get the treasure, and this old relic gets the trash. I see how it is." he grumbled and made his way behind the counter and began cleaning tankards moodily.

"Don't be like that, Ishida. I would've given it to you if it wasn't such a good haul overall. There's other good stuff too." Kishi assured the old man, who seemed to cheer up considerably upon hearing this.

"It better be." he warned jokingly before placing a glass of mixed juice on the counter in front of her before shuffling off to deal with the other customers. It had become almost a tradition, before every trinket Kishi gave to the old man she was 'rewarded' with a free drink. The cost would never even nearly hit a break-even point, but money wasn't something Kishi was overly interested in anyway. As long as she had enough for repairing _Pinta_ on occasion she was happy.

"If it isn't the bitch with the ugly cat." a voice called out, just as Kishi was finishing up her glass. Raising an eyebrow sceptically, she turned and immediately recognised who she was faced with.

"Ah, the newbies. I'm glad you made it to this island, I wan't sure you were going to with the weird way you were following your log pose." Kishi smiled as she took in the appearance of the Kidd Pirates before her.

The masked man from before, Killer, was there and simply leaning back against the seat watching his captain make a nuisance of himself. A man with blue dreadlocks and stitches across his face was swirling some weird green drink around in a wine glass. There was a man in what looked like an old-fashioned samurai helmet and a stupid goatee staring intently at the show, a blonde guy with some sort of mix between a Mohawk and a mullet was doing the same. The other guy was wearing a leather jacket adorned with metal studs.

And then, there was the captain. Who Kishi finally got a good look at for herself. His hair almost defied gravity, it was a vibrant scarlet in colour and he used a pair of aviator-style goggles to prevent what bangs he might have had from falling in front of his face. He was averagely tall, and muscularly built. But it was the coat that kept Kishi's attention. It had the furriest collar she had ever seen, and flared wide at the neck.

"Don't you _dare _look down on me, bitch!" Kidd stood up slowly, allowing Kishi to clearly see the anger evident in his eyes.

"I think you've misunderstood me Mr. Kidd. I only like to see newbies excel around here, most are killed early on." Kishi sent a placating smile at the flame-haired captain, who gritted his teeth at the treatment he was receiving from this _fisherwoman_, she was treating him like an ignorant child!

"Remember who the pirate with the bounty is, watch yourself or you're dead." Kidd growled, only seeming more annoyed when she simply nodded in agreement.

"Alright." was the only answer he got. Killer knew very well that this girl wasn't scared. But she just agreed with Kidd anyway. Probably not the conflict-type of person.

"Fucking bitch." Kidd muttered under his breath and sat down slowly, barely able to contain his anger. Killer winced, it's all well and good for the girl but the crew would be stuck with the moody captain for weeks at sea. And she was not making their situation any easier.

"You said your name was Kishi?" Killer interrupted before the conversation could turn any worse. The girl looked surprised, but nodded anyway.

"Yeah, and you're Killer?" Kishi caught on to what the Massacre Man was doing, she had noticed their captain's... odd temperment fairly quickly. Might as well make small talk with the first mate until the captain calmed down a little.

"Hm? This crew friends of yours?" Ishida was back, and was looking at the heavy metal-esque appearance of the crew in confusion. Not usually the type of company one would see Kishi keep, but then again the girl did always have a habit of picking up weird things. It was only a matter of time before that habit extended to people too.

"In a sense, they cracked the hull of _Pinta_when I was on my way here." Kishi answered bemusedly as Ishida shook his head.

"That could only have been _your_fault, bitch. We couldn't see your fucking boat, it should be you responsibility!" Kidd snarled, finally finding a reason to open his mouth agin.

"I know that, Mr. Kidd. Otherwise I would've asked you to pay for the damages on the spot." Kishi responded smoothly, causing only to irritate the captain further. Ishida, sensing something that should probably just be left alone, interjected quickly.

"Hm, well if you gentlemen have finished your drink I'll be closing up shop for an hour or two. It'll be open again later." the old man ushered the Kidd Pirates out the door, who were so shocked that someone would dare try that in the first place that they just did what he said and left the bar confusedly.

Kishi backed away slowly as the old man approached her menacingly, rubbing his hands together greedily.

"Now, gimme my presents!" he laughed loudly, took Kishi by the arm, and forcefully dragged her from the bar towards the harbour.

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"Who the _fuck_does she think she is? I should've blasted her through the wall, why the fuck didn't I?" Kidd griped as he led his crew back towards their ship, probably angrier than even Killer had ever seen him.

"She _is_ rather... weird." Killer implemented with a slow nod, still not quite understanding what it was about what she did that Kidd was so upset about.

"'Rather weird' is putting it pretty fucking lightly! A complete bitch is what _she_ is!" Kidd crowed, and used repel to blast five trash cans about fifty feet high into the air. Killer wondered mildly if his captain was aware of how often he cursed when he was angry, in comparison to how often he usually did anyway.

Killer sighed quietly as he followed his fuming captain up the gangplank, which was wobbling slightly due to how hard Kidd was stomping his way up to the ship. He would follow his captain to the ends of the earth and back, but sometimes, just sometimes, he wished Kidd would give his temper a rest. He wondered briefly whether telling Kidd to go to a brothel would be a subtle enough hint, but thought against it almost immediately. The crew, himself included, already had a bad enough reputation for killing annoying civilians. They didn't need to add whores to the list of those dead.

"That BITCH!" Kidd screeched as Killer was lost in his thoughts, causing the Massacre Man to snap to attention and sprint the rest of the way up into the ship, scythes twirling, only to be caught unawares for the second time that day by the same person. The only time this had ever happened to him.

Dangling inches from Killer's mask, held by the scruff of the neck by Kidd who was covered in scrathes and bite maks, was the bloody one-eyed ginger cat. And it held a silvery fish, no doubt pilfered from their kitchen, clasped in it's fangs. It was glaring unamusedly at any Kidd Pirate that dared come near it.

"This is Kishi's cat?" Killer sheathed his scythes again, ignoring the mocking look in the cat's eye for catching him out again, and looked directly at Kidd through his mask.

"That little bitch thought she could order her cat to steal from _us_ and then attack us? She thought _wrong_! She's Sea King bait now." Kidd laughed maniacally, his anger really getting the better of him. Again, Killer refrained from mentioning that he doubted a _Fisherwoman _would tell her cat to steal a _fish_. She probably had plenty herself.

But, as usual, there was no stopping Kidd once he was angry. He leaped over the side of their ship, with the cat in hand, and stalked immediately towards the small fishing vessel bobbing innocently on the waves.

As soon as Kidd stepped foot on the _Pinta_, he yelled loudly.

"Oi, bitch! Get up here now!"

A clatter could be heard from below, a few curses, and soon enough two people emerged confusedly from the cabin. Ishida and Kishi, the former held what looked like an ornamental plate from the void era cluthed in his hands.

"Um, what can I do for you Mr. Kidd?" Kishi asked curiously, not understanding why the flame-haired captain would be standing on her deck... smouldering like that with a cat clenched in his fist.

"I caught your fucking cat stealing from us! What are you going to do about it?" Kidd ordered, waving the cat around in her face.

Ishida looked from the captain, to the cat, to Kishi and repeated the process all over again before bursting into loud peals of laughter. Kishi immediately shushed him, but the old man continued chuckling under his breath. This exchange only served to anger Kidd even further.

"I-I'm not sure how to tell you this, Mr. Kidd," Kishi began slowly, trying not to also burst into peals of laughter at the scowling red-head. "but Taiga's up there sitting on the prow of my boat. That's not my cat." the corners of Kishi's mouth twitched, but she got them under control for the sake of her safety. There was no doubt in her mind that this was one tempermental captain.

"What the fuck are you on about, how many one-eyed ginger cats can there... be?" Kidd stopped mid-sentence, truly not believing what he was seeing. Within seconds, the cat he had been holding on to had regrown an eye, lost a few pounds and looked a lot perkier than it had seconds ago. In fact the only resemblance between the two cats now was the fur colour. Kidd turned his head slowly and, to be sure, there was that stupid cat smirking at him from the front of the ship.

"But, how? I-I saw it! Killer, he saw it too! He _said_ it was your cat!" Kidd babbled, completely at a loss as to what happened.

Watching the captain protect his sanity finally elicited a chuckle from the purple haired girl.

"Don't fucking laugh at me!" Kidd screeched, and for a whole ten seconds the small ship vibrated with a hum of power. Kishi glanced at the wooden planks beneath her feet and, sure enough, it was the screws, nails and iron-lined spackle trembling due to whatever this man was doing.

"A devil fruit user? Interesting, to say the least." Kishi complimented him, not every day you see a metal-user on the ocean. Most devil-fruit users have bizarre talents like breathing poison gas, controlling spaghetti and she'd even heard of a guy from Arabasta that had explosive snot. It was nice to meet someone with a good, respectable power.

"Shut _up_!" Kidd screamed, and within seconds ten nails rocketed out of the deck and flew towards Kishi. Who hit the deck, and barely managed to dodge them.

"Now now, children. Play nice, it was only a cat." Ishida tried to subdue the psychotic captain, who seemed to just get angrier that someone was trying to belittle his battles and uprooted ten more nails from the deck which also started to chase Kishi. Who was dodging, ducking and weaving like a maniac.

"Stop being so childish, are you a captain or not?" Ishida finally got annoyed and, within the space of a few seconds, had sidestepped another sweep of metal objects being hurled at him, and the anchor sent his way by Kidd also, only to pull up to a stop in front of the moody captain and get a tight grip on his neck. Understandably, all metal objects came crashing down onto the neck as Kidd stood stock-still, barely believing that some old man was able to get around him so easily. Ishida raised Kidd a few feet into the air.

"Listen well, pup. I'm not the only friend Kishi has in these oceans, she might not be a fighter herself, but she knows _every _person of power in these seas. Marine and pirate alike, you are the first person stupid enough to attack her." Ishida warned, tightening his grip slightly to make a point. "And not all of them are decrepit old men who _used_ to be top bounty hunters."

Kidd nodded slowly and Ishida lowered the captain carefully to plant his feet firmly on the floor. Kidd didn't make a sound, only tilted his head from left to right to fix the new kinks in his neck.

After a few minutes of total and complete awkward silence, Kishi decided it was time to speak up, no matter how pathetic what she said happened to be.

"Who wants some tea?" she voiced out weakly, trying to forget the image of happy-go-lucky Ishida gripping the young pirate's throat.

"Who the fuck asked you?" Kidd snapped, but not making any move towards her, only turning arrogantly on his heel and stomping towards the gangplank to get back onto the harbour. Kishi's eyes widened considerably.

"Mr. Kidd, stop! Wait just a-" too late. Kidd's left foot, along with the rest of his body, fell through the floorboards. This in itself wouldn't be a problem seeing as there was a room below deck, but Kidd had been walking near the edge of the boat. That, coupled with the nails he had uprooted from the deck caused not only the floorboards beneath his feet to buckle, but the side of the ship gave way when Kidd reached out to keep his balance. And now, he's overboard.

"I bet he wishes he could swim instead of control metal now." Ishida snickered, stopping only when Kishi sent him a withering look.

"Not funny. Watch the boat for me, kay?" Kishi slipped off her plain sandals and bandanna before positioning herself right at the edge of _Pinta_.

"That bastard had better stop calling me bitch after this." Kishi sighed, before diving overboard after the captain who was sinking like a hammer.

Kishi scanned the area furtively, panicking only for a few seconds before she spotted a pair of goggles floating past her. She looked down and saw Kidd, now unconscious, and sinking faster. Groaning inwardly, Kishi swam down, hooked her arm under his, and dragged him up to the surface.

Ishida pulled the two of them on board, and Kishi got right down to business. After placing her ear to his chest, she determined his heart was still beating. But, he wasn't breathing. Troublesome.

Kishi began pushing harder and harder against his chest in constant motions, until he began to cough, splutter and finally breath again. He was still unconscious though.

"This boy is more trouble than he's worth." Ishida complained as Kishi sat the captain up against the cabin wall easily.

"He's new to this, maybe he's just nervous. Remember that guy Ace? He spazzed out every few seconds worse than this guy and now look at him, division commander of Whitebeard Pirates." Kishi reprimanded the old man, who sighed in acceptance, but still didn't seem to agree.

"_Ace_ didn't try to tear apart _Pinta _and kill you." Ishida commented before straightening up and tucking his plate under his arm before just walking off the ship with a small wave. Kishi shook her head at the old man's antics before struggling to haul Kidd's unconscious form over her shoulder and staggering off her boat in search of the Kidd Pirate ship.

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"What happened?" were the first words out of Killer's mouth when he saw possibly the strangest sight he's seen so far since he started this journey. His captain, unconscious, was slung over the slim frame of the fisherwoman who's knees were nearly trembling with exertion. She did have to lug the guy all the way across the harbour, and one muscular man weighed more than any amount of fish she's caught in one go!

"He fell off my boat. Into the water." Kishi practically sighed in relief when the spindly man took Kidd's larger frame out of her possession.

"He just fell? That doesn't sound like master Kidd." the man who looked like a zombie spoke up, and Killer nodded in agreement with him without bothering to speak. Kishi groaned, smart ordinary crew members were rare on the Grand Line, why did this guy have to have two?

"He started throwing nails at me first, then Ishida choked him, I suggest you get that neck checked out by the way, and then he was so angry he forgot he ripped nails out of the ship and when he was stomping off he fell through the side." Kishi could see Killer twitch slightly. Evidently, that tantrum _did_ sound a lot like their captain.

"We will take him from here. We appreciate your returning him." Killer nodded, and Kishi scratched the back ofher head with a shrug.

"No problem I guess, I must've done something to piss him off to get him that bad. If there's still a problem, I'll probably be in the forest for the next day or so." Kishi explained before just walking off the ship.

Taiga was sitting at the end of the gangplank expectantly.

"I don't care if you _were_ sitting on the prow of the ship when he arrived, I know you did something." Kishi scratched the cat's ears affectionately despite her words. Not like she could prove it, that cat is sneakier than any pirate she'd ever known.

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Seregunda: That's a pretty long chapter... Well, what do you think? Are the character's too OOC or are they alright? That's my one pet peeve. The song is 'Why Should I Worry' by Billy Joel. And just in case people didn't get it, because my humour is freakish and weird, the chapter name is a song of Billy Joel's (a cover version, I know Tom Jones did the first one) too and it sorta tied in with the chapter. Oh the sense of humour of someone with too much time on their hands...R&R please!^-^ reviews attract plot bunnies!


	3. Compensation

Seregunda: I'm so happy, Kishi came out of the Mary-sue test as a-okay! And thanks so much to those who reviewed the last chapter: Footballstar0, poisonliz, Psychotic Tendency, Msaju17, Demon Guard666, OnHisFaceIsAMapOfTheWorld and Airling42. I love you guys!:) And Super-major thanks to Airling42 and OnHisFaceIsAMapOfTheWorld. I actually didn't notice Killer's OOC until I looked back on it, tnx a million! The Kidd bit **is **planned though, kudos to OnHisFaceIsAMapOfTheWorld for figuring out the exact reason why(I'm starting to feel obvious now). Kidd was going to get more... Kidd-ish as the story went on anyway coz of the whole 'only just starting off on the Grand Line' thing, but now I promise I'll fix Killer now too! Thanks for the reviews, love you all!XD

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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"We've missed ya, Kishi! It'd be nice if you called in a little more often, Ishida's been feeling lonely too!" Shanks raved, waving a cask of rum in Kishi's face, who watched his antics bemusedly. She was currently sitting the midst of the Red Hair Pirates' encampment, which was situated in the middle of the forest, surrounded by drunken festive pirates.

"I know Shanks, but there's a lot of fish in the sea ya know. Catching them all takes a bit of time." Kishi explained slowly to her inebriated friend, who could probably only understand every second word she spouted as it was.

"It ain't the fish that gives you the trouble though, am I right? Them Sea Kings are nasty buggers, one of 'em bit my arm right o-" the red haired pirate had just been about to get into one of his long-winded stories (again) but, much to Kishi's relief, he was distracted by one of his crew mates' actions, as they began to have an extremely rowdy drinking contest.

"Oi boys, that's not how it's done! Let me show ya!" Shanks pulled himself to his feet and settled himself across from a wide pirate who looked as if he were wearing half a chestnut on his head. Kishi shook her head, she liked the Red Hair crew, but they were a little too boisterous for her to be around for a long period of time. The only problem was that every time she _did _visit them, Shanks insisted they have a party which means she has to stay even longer. Thank Kami she decided to repair _Pinta_ before coming over here.

Kishi never had been the kind to be the life of a party, although she did enjoy them well enough.

"I think I've been held captive long enough, Shanks. I'm going to head back to _Pinta_. If I see Luffy again I'll give him your best." Kishi called out to the Yonkou, who nodded despite the fact he clearly hadn't caught a word she had said.

Kishi chuckled lightly and headed back through the forest. She found it hard to keep up with all the people she had met through her life: there was so many. But some people, like Shanks, were hard to forget about.

Kishi blinked, trying to get her eyes to adjust as she came out of the forest's fringe and stood on the outskirts of the town, the harbour just visible over the tops of the houses.

"Mrowr." Kishiblinked again and looked down at her feet. The grumpy face of Taiga glared up at her crankily, clearly not impressed withhow long she spent in the Red Hair Pirates' company. And the fact that she had shoved a collar that clashed horribly with his fur around his neck moments before leaving did nothing to sweeten his memory of her.

"Daylight now, I must've stayed through the whole night." Kishi commented, and Taiga just hissed in irritation. "I know you find them too loud, but I like them so tough luck." Kishi laughed as the two began to cut through town. People in this town no longer thought it odd to see the fisherwoman walking through the streets babbling away to her cat. Every few months she'd just reappear and do the same thing again so no point in getting riled up about it.

Kishi untied the rope holding _Pinta_ to the mooring dock as Taiga stepped haughtily up the gangplank to sit in his usual position at the prow of the ship.

Just as _Pinta _began to drift awkwardly away from the harbour, Kishi jumped the short distance across to her boat and straightened the small boat up again. Glancing around the harbour as she began to pull out, Kishi couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her face upon seeing the Kidd Pirates' ship bobbing in all it's gothicglory with the slight waves. She genuinely did hope they'd do well, they only just entered the Grand Line, but she bet that by the time they reach Saboady Archipelago, that Kidd would have himself a bounty of at least 300,000,000. And maybe have worked off a bit of that newbie clumsiness.

Kishi pulled down the lever which adjusted the rudder to the correct trajectory, and pushed the knob that started up the unseen engine below deck, all the while humming a song she picked up from Ishida's bar in the short time she had been sitting there.

"_While in the merry month of May from me home I started,_  
_Left the girls of Tuam so sad and broken hearted,_  
_Saluted father dear, kissed me darling mother,_  
_Drank a pint of beer, me grief and tears to smother,_  
_Then off to reap the corn, leave where I was born,_  
_Cut a stout black thorn to banish ghosts and goblins;_  
_Bought a pair of brogues rattling o'er the bogs_  
_And fright'ning all the dogs on the rocky road to Dublin._

_One, two, three four, five,_  
_Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road_  
_all the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah !_

_From there I got away, me spirits never falling,_  
_Landed on the quay, just as the ship was sailing._  
_The Captain at me roared, said that no room had he;_  
_When I jumped aboard, a cabin found for Paddy._  
_Down among the pigs, played some hearty rigs,_  
_Danced some hearty jigs, the water round me bubbling;_  
_When off Holyhead I wished meself was dead,_  
_Or better for instead on the rocky road to Dublin._

_One, two, three four, five,_  
_Hunt the Hare and turn her down the rocky road_  
_all the way to Dublin, Whack follol de rah !"_

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"You've got to be fucking shitting me." Kidd groaned, looking through the spyglass that Killer had handed to him quietly.

It had been two and a half weeks since he had been informed of his embarrassing mishap, and left Yukiryuu. And now, as if some god had a personal vendetta against him, there it was. That rickety old boat was staring him right in the face. And the cat, despite the fact there was no way it could possibly see the Kidd Pirates' ship without a spyglass, was staring directly at him with some sort of sneer on it's face.

"Can't we just go around?" Kidd sighed, handing the spyglass back to his first mate, who shook his head slowly.

"They're on the same route the log pose is pointing in, we shouldn't change route." Killer informed him, as the captain sighed uncharacteristically.

"I'll just kill the bitch when we get there, that way she won't fuck with my head anymore." Kidd growled, and Killer shook his head once more.

"You'd be better off sticking to our normal kills, captain. She herself isn't strong, but I listened in on some conversations in the Blue Lagoon. She grew up on the Grand Line, and knows nearly everyone on it. The day before we left, she went to see Shanks. Ishida is something of an old legend too. Whitebeard, a few Shichibukai, the higher-ups in the marines, even Rayleigh seems to know her well." Killer left this all sink in to his captain, who now looked as if somebody kicked his puppy.

"No killing her?" it, oddly enough, came out as more of a whine than anything else.

"She stays alive, or we die." Killer informed him grimly. He neglected to add the 'until we're stronger than them all anyway' at the end. Kidd didn't need to be encouraged on this aspect at all, better to just leave some information out.

"Damn it! Who the hell would want to hang around that bitch anyway? Let's just pass by quickly!" Kidd snorted, and ordered for all the sails to be unfurled, and tightened. It wasn't all that windy, however, so it didn't increase the speed all that much.

As they approached the smaller fishing vessel, which seemed to be immobile, Kidd stomped childishly to the opposite side of his ship to not have to look at the smaller boat.

Kishi glanced up as the large gothic ship was passing by her own and gave a small wave up to Killer, and refocused her attention on hauling in the nets she had tossed overboard.

And, along with the nets, up came a school of sardines. Wriggling and squirming and trying pretty much anything they could to escape the net.

"We'll eat well tonight Taiga!" she laughed, and pushed the large net to the end of the boat and out of their way. Probably waiting for the fish to suffocate themselves.

As soon as the fish were inside the boat, she started up the engines again, listening as the small vessel purred to life. Pulling down a few knobs and levers, _Pinta_ started pushing forwards steadily, much more steadily than the Kidd Pirates' ship could manage with barely a puff of air to keep her going.

"What the fuck does that little boat run on?" Kidd approached Killer, finally returning to the starboard side now that _Pinta_ was well and truly out on the horizon.

"I don't know captain. Perhaps you should ask the boat's owner?" Killer smirked behind his mask as Kidd began protesting loudly about how he would never ask that bitch anything, and why should he anyway when _real_ pirates only sail on _sailing_ ships. Not stupid ones that run on engines.

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Two days had passed again, and something was wrong on Kidd's ship. He could sense it, and Killer said he knew something was off too. Their cook had said food has been disappearing from their larder at an odd rate, and weird scratch marks have been found scattered around in the wooden panelling on the ship.

That, topped with the fact more than one of the crew members have said they also feel as if they're being watched made this an almost-crisis.

Killer didn't believe in ghosts, and even if they were real they wouldn't go around eating food they didn't need. But, that didn't stop the rest of the men, including their overly-suspicious and superstitious captain, from scouring the ship from holding area to crow's nest to find what they were looking for. Eventually, it was Zombie who found the problem curled up inside a coil of rope.

"I don't fucking believe this." Kidd snarled, as a considerably fatter one-eyed ginger cat was held by the scruff of the neck in Zombie's fist.

"I'll skin this cat alive!" Kidd growled, and a carving knife flew through the door from the kitchen into his hand. Everyone gathered in the room edged slowly away from their captain nervously, just glad it was the cat instead of them. Despite the fact Kidd never really resorted to violence when dealing with his crew, he usually just shouted and roared at them, they really didn't want to test this theory while he had sharp pointy things in his hand.

"Kidd, it's only a cat." Killer droned, knowing that if he made himself sound bored enough Kidd usually calms down to suit.

"It doesn't matter what it is, I'm going to kill it." Kidd's voice lowered, but that definitely didn't mean he was calming down. If anything, he was getting worse. Killer cursed quietly under his breath. If his captain was going to survive the Grand Line, he was going to have to get serious. If anything, Killer himself could have joined nearly any crew and been perfectly welcome. He chose Kidd's not only because the captain was strong, but because he seemed like the type to have right general mindset for the job after only a short while on the Grand Line.

Well, he would have. If he wasn't so stubborn as to resist the Grand Line's influences, both good and bad.

Kidd was the type that, when he got his mind around something, it became a cake-walk. Sadly, that seemed to take a little longer than Killer had expected prior to entering the Grand Line. And, because Kidd was currently having trouble getting his head around the whole situation, Killer assumed this was the reason his captain was acting something akin to a three-year old.

"If you want to." Killer shrugged, not really seeing the harm in it. After all, the monsters of this ocean might love that fisherwoman, but nobody said anything about her ugly cat.

"Stop treating me like a child, there's no need to appease me." Kidd growled, his fist tightening around the hilt of the knife dangerously.

"Captain, th-" Mohawk tried to cut in, but was waved off by his Captain whose eyes wouldn't leave his first mate.

"Captain, I was not trying to 'appease' you. I just don't give a damn about the cat." Killer explained in a level voice, keeping the irritation levels unheard by the rest of the crew. No need to lose control over a simple thing like a Captain acting stupidly childish in a way he hadn't even before they entered the Grand Line.

"Captain I-" Mohawk was cut off again, but this time a glare was shot his way and he quieted down once more.

"You're doing it again."Kidd stated, his fingers flexing on the knife's hilt now. Killer held himself still, wondering why of all people this had to be him. 'Patient' and 'calm' were two words often used to describe the Massacre Man. Those words were often accompanied by 'ruthless' and 'uncaring', never understanding. Which is, annoyingly enough, what he has been almost forced into showing every once in a while.

"Captain please don't kill me, but th-" Mohawk was cut off once more, but this time by another voice.

"Thank Kami I finally found you guys, I had to backtrack so much I'd say I'm nearly two days behind schedule." a light _female_voice laughed from the portsideof the ship. Every member of the Kidd Pirates crew froze in shock, except Mohawk, and turned their heads slightly just in time to see a purple-haired woman clamber capably over the side of their ship.

She immediately spotted the ginger cat held in Zombie's grip and the dagger Kidd was waving around in the cat's general direction.

"I can't say I blame you, Mr. Kidd. Even I want to kill Taiga sometimes, but I sort of rely on him for a lot of my catches, so would you mind putting him down please?" Kishi grinned widely as Zombie dropped the cat, more out of shock than compliance, and the one-eyed cat shot over to hide behind his master's legs smugly.

"Do you even know the panic that cat caused on my ship?" Kidd growled at the completely unperturbed fisherwoman, who sighed loudly.

"I can only imagine. I'll compensate for it if that's what you're after, I got a pretty good haul yesterday." Kishi pulled Taiga up into her arms protectively as Kidd sneered at the oblivious fisherwoman with distaste.

"Only if you hand over to our cook every single fish you caught. Every. Last. One." Kidd threatened, and Kishi pulled a face in confusion.

"Fish? That's seriously all you want?" she started to laugh and hooked a leg over the edge of the ship, preparing to push off as Killer took the bait unwillingly.

"What else do you _have_?" he drawled, letting his opinion of the fisherfolk be known in that one sentence.

"Haha, ever thought there might be a reason there's so few fishermen out here on the Grand Line? It's not only fish I catch, or hunt to say it correctly." Kishi explained vaguely, actually piqueing the interest of the naturally curious captain and first mate.

"Explain, I'm in no mood for games." Kidd growled, and Killer looked sideways at his captain, mildly impressed at the venomous tone that eked out of his mouth. There's the voice of the captain Killer joined under!

"Ma~, you're bound to have seen at least a small Sea King by now, right? Well, even those little guys' fangs, talons, organs, scales, and general body parts really fetch some price on the Black Market. A lot of them are even poisonous, so that's double the price. Problem is, to keep the quality of this stuff up, you have to take it from them while those beasties are alive. And that's my job!" Kishi explained to a sceptical crew, all of whom shook their heads at her not-so-impressive form.

"I know I'm not strong, so don't judge my fishing by that! You just need the tools and luck to do this. Strength almost gets in the way in this job, actually." Kishi snorted and crossed her arms sulkily as Kidd leered triumphantly.

"If that's the case, we'll just take the most expensive thing on your ancient paddleboat and call it even." Kidd jumped over onto the _Pinta_, suddenly in a much better mood. Killer shook his head at his captain's behaviour, but followed anyway after ordering the crew to stay behind on the ship.

"Down here, boys." Kishi called, and clambered down the ladder into the little room below. The flame-haired captain and his first mate exchanged wary looks and followed quickly, leaving only the cat on the deck.

The two pirates scoffed at the cluttered room below, but followed the fisherwoman nonetheless to what looked like a storage cupboard.

"Here we go~!" Kishi sang and huffed as she dragged a large cone-shaped object of about four feet draped in a dirty white cloth out from the gloom of the cupboard and dropped it on the rickety dining table placed in the middle of the room.

"And this is?" Killer asked, none too impressed with what looked like old sails that were torn beyond further use and thrown over this object because it could no longer serve it's purpose.

"Your compensation, what else would I be showing you? Oh, and sort of a 'welcome to the Grand Line' present. Trust me, this is the only warm welcome a pirate's going to get around here." Kishi explained as she unwrapped the cloth carefully, slowly but surely revealing a large pearly white fang. There was a hint of green oozing from the very point, which Kishi tutted at and placed a wine cork over almost as soon as she spotted it.

"It's big." Killer stated, wrapping it up again and holding it over his shoulder with an ease Kishi would never manage.

"You can get bigger." Kishi shrugged with no complaint as the Kidd Pirates took the fang into their possession.

"Not as useless as I thought then." Kidd sneered, mentally reminding himself that gutting the girl in front of him would probably get himself gutted so there would be no point. Yet.

"Right." Kishi laughed and climbed back up the ladder, trying to give Killer a hand with the fang, who completely ignored the proffered hand and kept climbing easily. At this point Kishi was really starting to consider some muscle building exercises. Even newbies were stronger than her.

"Hope to see you soon." Kishi called as soon as Kidd had climbed back onto his own ship with the giant fang in hand. The dark look sent back over his shoulder made her chuckle, remembering his reaction to the last time she had said that one simple sentence.

Kishi grabbed Taiga's flea collar and dragged the cat over to the cabin with her as she began setting the boat into motion.

_Pinta_ chugged off at a steady pace and, once a good hundred yards were between the two sailing vessels, Kishi released the cat after finally deeming the distance too far for even her own demon cat to cause touble at.

"They're an odd bunch, Taiga. Even for us!" Kishi chortled as she scratched the offended cat betweent the ears, not really having the heart to scold him since she knew he'd have no problem doing it again even if she did go through the bother.

"They'll get better though, I don't care how stupid the captain's acting now. I can tell, they're gonna be big soon." Kishi swore, at that moment, Taiga rolled his eyes at her.

"You don't believe me, do you? Ya little sea-rat." Kishi sighed as she took the helm and increased the speed, hoping to catch up on the two days she lost, even though she never really bothered keeping schedule she hated the idea of so much wasted time.

"_Ka-mo-me no Sui-hei-san,"_ Kishi began half-heartedly in an attempt to get back her usual energy as _Pinta_ moved slowly but surely further away from the gothic ship in the distance behind them.

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Seregunda: I hope my little narative up top cleared some things up for people! I might make some mistakes with OOC later on too, but for now (Kidd's, not anyone else's) OOC stuff is planned with the story. I feel like I probably should have said this before, but whatever! Sorry for the mix-up! The song used in this chapter is 'Rocky Road to Dublin' by The High Kings. For the many who don't know this song, it's the one the Irish guy was singing in Sherlock Holmes in the betting streetfight scene. R&R please people!^-^


	4. Bits and Pieces

Seregunda: Thanks so much to those who reviewed the last chapter: Footballstar0, Blue Wolf Miko, and Demon Guard666. I love you guys!:) Oh yeah, and for Demon Guard666 I used the mary-sue test that was just titled 'The Writer's Mary Sue Test'. Sorry, but fanfiction won't let me post up a direct link to it. I'm fairly sure it's the only one with that title though.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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The waves swept over the side and across the deck of the _Pinta, _dragging everything that wasn't nailed down into the ocean and a lot of the nailed things too. The wind howled, tossing the only two inhabitants of the small sailing boat across the deck like rag dolls. Dark clouds rolled maliciously overhead, pelting everything below with a mixture of hail and rain.

It was a storm worthy of the Grand Line.

"Taiga, it was around here right?" Kishi yelled, trying to be heard over the loud peals of thunder clapping overhead. A snarling noise echoed from behind a stray barrel in confirmation of her question, and Kishi struggled to regain her balance and taken in her surroundings.

Then, Taiga hissed and spat in a cacophony of noise that made Kishi glad she couldn't understand a word he said. No more than twenty yards from their boat, a serpentine head reared up over the water's surface. Because the waves were so strong and the ocean so vicious, the emerging of a creature so big had little to no effect on the little boat. Whereas normally, the displacement of so much water so nearby probably would have overturned _Pinta_.

"There he is." Kishi murmured under her breath, her words lost in the howling wind as she stood eerily still in the centre of the chaos looking at the large Sea King. Suddenly, as if waking from a trance, Kishi shook her head and disappeared into the cabin, emerging only seconds later with a large metallic harpoon and what looked like an upturned trash can lid. A very large backpack was strapped to her back.

Cursing quietly under her breath, Kishi stuck the harpoon to the decking using three large, flat suction cups and adjusted the aim to suit the wind, distance and size of target.

Quickly, not taking her eyes from the Sea King, Kishi slipped her feet into the stirrups of the disc she had taken out and gripped the trigger of the harpoon experimentally. Taking a single calming breath, she squeezed the trigger and watched as if almost in slow motion as the harpoon took flight and embedded itself deeply into the tissue just outside the left eye. The Sea King, being so large, barely seemed to feel it, and allowed out only an irritated rumble and allowed a taloned fin to come out of the water and take a swipe at it, but no dice.

Those harpoons were designed to dig deeper the more the target struggled.

Praying to someone, anyone that could possibly hear her, Kishi pulled back a cap on top of the releasing mechanism of the harpoon and, within seconds, the chain the spear was attached to went taut, and suddenly began retracting itself at an alarming rate.

Kishi bent her knees and jumped in time with the chain, allowing herself to be yanked over board. The speed at which she was being dragged towards the Sea King allowed her to be dragged across the surface of the water while standing on her disc, and in the milliseconds before Kishi was pulled up into the air she was in heaven. That was her favourite part, but now that she was dangling inches above a Sea King's mouth, and about the same distance from it's eye, it was time to grit her teeth and bear with it.

Now, the more the Sea King struggled, the more pain it seemed to be in and the more frantic it's thrashing became. Taking out a small dagger from a side pocket of her backpack, Kishi deftly hacked a few scales from below it's cheekbones off and slipped them into her backpack. Enough money to last for months already. Sadly, removing scales was always the easy bit seeing as the beasts couldn't even feel them being hacked off.

Now, was the most difficult bit and usually only rarely something she accomplished.

Praying silently, Kishi began swinging on the chain from the harpoon, getting closer and closer to it's roaring jaws with each swing. Until, after what seemed like hours, she was inside the mouth, and already regretting it as the monster's saliva coated her body in minutes and it's harsh screaming hurt her ears even more than before. Oh well, c'est la vie. Especially if you wanted to do well in that 'vie'.

Taking hold of a stick that had been poking out the flap of her backpack, Kishi pulled out a pickaxe grimly. Holding onto the tool tightly with one hand, and the other hand gripping hard onto a fang for both balance and aim, she swung the pickaxe back over her head and let it fly loose to the root of the Sea King's fang. Holding on for dear life as the beast reared it's head back at the sudden pricking sensation in it's mouth, Kishi struck again, again and again until the fang came loose.

She stuck it in her backpack quickly before moving out of the way and onto another fang, trying to avoid the trickle of blood flowing from the hole the other fang had once been.

Kishi repeated this process once more, barely believing her luck and waiting on bated breath for the beast to submerge itself in the water and drown her along with it. Thankfully, it hadn't yet. But she didn't want to push her luck as the third fang came out and she leaped out of the beast's jaws with a considerably heavier backpack and a racing heart as she scrambled upwards to the harpoon and retracted it from the beast's face who let out an almighty roar and finally submerged itself in the water once again.

Not entertaining the idea of drowing, Kishi pulled back a cap on the tool identical to the one she had pulled on the main body of the harpoon and once more the chain went taut, before Kishi came rocketing up to the surface of the water and shooting back towards _Pinta_ at an alarming pace.

Bracing herself only moments before, Kishi slammed into the hull of the ship with a groan, the harpoon lacking the technology to pull her up rather than just back.

Clambering up over the edge of the boat, Kishi flopped onto the deck wearily with a sigh, not really caring about the blood, sailva and mixes of poison trailing down her skin. Surprisingly enough, some of the blood was hers. Those scales chafe badly, and if you catch yourself on a fang or a scale on those buggers, you would bleed like hell. Kishi didn't really know why she was so surprised to discover all her minor injuries, but she was all the same.

"My biggest haul yet, Taiga." Kishi called out breathlessly to the one-eyed cat who had deemed the weather, which had calmed down to only rain now, as tolerable enough to endure Kishi's presence.

"Mrowr." And a flick of the tail was the only response she got, which was got enough for her.

"Gyaaaooo!" suddenly, the boat was thrown sideways as the water erupted only feet from _Pinta_, and a serpentine head with a bloody mouth leered over the deck of the small fishing vessel.

Kishi paled and retreated immediately into the cabin, kicking the boat into drive faster than she's ever had to before. Usually the Sea Kings just got over it and waited the three hours it only took for their fangs to grow back, but it looked like this one was a little nastier than even the average Sea King.

Dodging between clusters of rocks too small to be called islands, Kishi was chased by the furious Sea King. Thankfully, small flecks of blood had oozed from where she had taken the scales and had temporarily blinded the beast in the left eye. It was now frothing at the mouth too.

Some weaving, bobbing and a whole lot of screaming later, Kishi realised that she had probably looked like the biggest idiot ever for the past ten minutes. The reason? The Sea King, who couldn't see properly from the left side, careened into a pointed rock jutting out of the ocean and impaled itself badly. It wasn't moving.

Kishi, now weak-kneed, sank to the floor with an almost silent whimper of thanks. It always was luck that pulled out for her in the end, strength never did much for her.

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"Would you look at that." Killer commented dryly, looking through the spyglass clutched in his frozen fingertips.

The Kidd Pirates were currently recuperating from some 'adventures' on probably their weirdest island yet. It was full eerily good-natured villagers who welcomed them with open arms and didn't care if they were pirates or not. They then proceeded to sell them out to the equivalent of a mad-scientist who was interested in Kidd's powers. Tortured and tested on before the crew managed to free their captain from the sea-stone cuffs he had been trapped in, Kidd had left that island a changed captain.

"What?" that was it. Now, instead of childish, immature and slightly clumsy, there was a voice of someone different. Harder, more serious, battle worn, but still the temperamental Eustass Captain Kidd that Killer signed up under. After what happened to him on that island, Killer never asked for full details, the first mate swore on his blades that he would be stronger.

"That fisherwoman again. She wasn't kidding about hunting Sea Kings." Killer imagined what must have happened to get the large Sea King before them into such a mangled state. The battle looked like one Killer would have joined in with in relish.

"Hand it over." Killer dropped the spyglass into Kidd's outstretched hand and watched as the corners of Kidd's painted black lips pulled up into an almost sadistic leer.

"So it is." Kidd replied and handed the spyglass back to his first mate, well aware that the Massacre Man was waiting on orders.

"We'll board that rock, and take the Sea King. It's expensive, right?" Kidd asked, and glanced sideways at Killer who nodded slowly. He had researched the prices of those body parts since they had last run into the fisherwoman, and those were seriously sky-rocketing every day. Fewer and fewer people were learning how to harvest these things, apparently, and this was as good a time as any for Killer to learn.

Kami only knows how many of the beasts he had slain in curiosity to see if he could remove the parts the correct way, intact with all the venom trapped soundly inside. He had failed miserably each time, but had sharpened his skills with his scythes by doing such to an incredible extent. His movements in battle, which had previously been perfectly controlled and concise akin to a swordsman, now became erratic. Hacking and slashing only at the areas of the human body with the highest mortality rate. His movements quicker. His muscles stronger. His reflexes and instinct never erring.

Kidd narrowed his eyes as his first mate continued to observe the fisherwoman through the spyglass. He never forgot his promise to himself to kill the bitch the first chance he got, but Killer was right. He could see, now, it would be a major tactical error on his part. To have all those higher-ups on his back so early in the game would be suicide.

For now, take advantage of what her presence gives. Especially if it involves an increase in wealth.

Kidd moved away from his distracted first mate, and shouted orders to board what was little more than a rock jutting up out of the ocean to his crew who complied immediately.

As they neared the rock, Kidd Pirates' ship moored next to _Pinta_where a fat ginger cat glared up at them in distaste. Kidd growled a warning at the animal, which made no move from it's postition and turned back to face the large carcass which was impaled on the spear-like rock. Kidd glanced around for about a second and, upon seeing no sign of the fisherwoman herself, ordered his crew to have the Sea King severed into pieces and brought aboard the ship.

Killer seemed none too happy about the dissection of the creature for some reason, but Kidd ignored it and watched as Mohawk and Zombie lifted the head in preparation for someone else of the crew to chop it off. That is, until a muffled "Ouch! What the hell? I thought it was dead!" was screeched from what sounded like inside the beast's mouth and a purple haired girl tumbled from the creature's jaws clutching an arm and backpack full of fangs and organs.

"So that's where she was." Killer commented disinterestedly. He eyed the fully harvested organs almost jealously, seeing each and every one of them completely intact.

"It's the newbies! What brings you to this rock?" Kishi laughed, trying to wipe the blood and saliva from her hands onto her shorts. It didn't really work seeing as her shorts were just as covered in the stuff as her hands had been.

"We're taking that." Kidd grunted, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to the carcass of the Sea King. His men were already working on severing it's head.

"Be my guest, I've taken all I can fit on _Pinta _without capsizing in the next storm anyway." Kishi grinned disarmingly as Taiga approached the three conversing humans. Kishi fished a strip of bloody meat out from the pile in her arms and tossed it to him, it was eaten in under a second.

"You said you could only remove things from Sea Kings while it was alive." Killer made it sound more like a statement than a question, but Kishi caught the drift and bit the bait willingly.

"That's only fangs and scales. When Sea Kings die, an enzyme is released that destroys the poison glans which, as you can already see on this big boy, dries up the scales. They still fetch a decent enough price, but not nearly as much as the ones with poison. Same with the fangs. Organs are different, dead or alive they fetch the same price but since it's so hard to kill the things it's nearly not worth it." Kishi explained, scratching the cat behind the ears soothingly.

The first mate seemed satisfied with this explanation, and clammed up immediately, deep in thought.

Kishi took this chance to take in the new appearance of the crew. Whatever's gone down since she last saw them, it did them the world of good. Grand Line-wise anyway.

Mr. Kidd's eyes had always shown a spark of intelligence, but before they were clouded completely by anger. Now, a calculating cunning with malicious intent flooded through them. Still the same temper, but it looked, to Kishi anyway, as if he'd discovered some other way to fly off the handle. Anger was useful on the Grand Line, but it was even more so when used properly.

And the first mate, Killer, was tenser than he had been before. Always on the lookout, waiting to attack or be attacked. It wasn't in a paranoid way though, Kishi couldn't explain it but he just seemed to _notice _things more.

"How did you kill it? I know _you're_ not strong enough." Kidd finally voiced out, clasping his hands behind his back firmly.

"Um... I blinded it accidentally with blood from where I pulled out some scales and it impaled itself on the rock." Kishi explained sheepishly as the captain smirked at her 'inferiority'.

As Zombie finally managed to rip the beast's forearm of with a sickening crunch, Kishi shook herself once more and started walking towards her ship and away from the pirate crew with a sigh. She wasn't going to tell them she took all the expensive parts out already and was leaving them with only about 1,100,000 beri.

As she sat on deck, she cleaned off her trophies and corked the fangs to keep the poison inside before turning around to watch the Kidd Pirates at work again. She knew, now, it would be a little wrong to keep calling them 'newbies'. By now, they were probably lower-rookies.

"How do you extract those organs?" a voice popped up about two feet to her left.

"AAAGH!" Kishi screeched, scrambling backwards slightly after falling to the floor and glared up at the masked man standing expectantly on deck.

"Well?" he asked impatiently, taking another step forward.

"Well what? You just gave me a heart attack!" Kishi took a few deep breaths before pulling herself back to her feet and brushing herself off with whatever dignity she had left. The Massacre Man remained impassive until Kishi turned to face him again.

"What did you say? I was a little busy panicking." Kishi asked dryly, loosening the bandanna around her neck with a jerk.

"How do you extract a Sea King's organs?" he repeated, crossing his arms and waiting expectantly.

Kishi sent a confused frown his way before noticing the slight hints of rusting near the hilt of his scythes. One of the traits of Sea King poison.

"I take it you've tried? Ma~ it's hard to explain. It's impossible for most people to even remove them unless they practically hack the things out, and even then they're in bits and pieces by the time you've gotten them out." Kishi glanced at Killer, who gave a single nod. She grimaced, not much of a talker is he?

"That is what you meant before by 'strength not being an asset' before." Killer finally spoke and Kishi beamed and nodded, already enjoying playing the role of an enthusiastic teacher to a student who, despite wanting to learn, pretended he had next to no interest in it.

"Exactly. And those scythes are bad for it too, you need small dexterous tools. I have a small gutting knife myself. You need to be able to dig into the one place that will remove the stuff without damaging it. The roots for the fangs and scales, and the tendons and arteries for the organs. You following this?" Kishi asked, and received a single nod in return.

Kidd watched as the calves of the beast were loaded on his ship smugly before turning around and noticing his first mate had mysteriously disappeared. There were only so many places the masked man could hide, and none of them on the 'island'.

A few seconds later, a flicker of movement on board the smaller fishing vessel caught his eye. Squinting slightly to see through the sun, Kidd spotted Killer standing stock still on board the ship, watching with morbid interest as Kishi twisted and wrenched what looked like a gutting knife in mid air in some sort of demonstration.

Anger pooled inside him, but Kidd kept a handle on it. Losing control that way had gotten him nearly dissected at the last island. Holding himself rigidly, Kidd stomped the short distance to _Pinta_ before coming to a stop and glaring at the peeled cursive writing embossed on the side of the boat.

"Killer, we're nearly finished with the Sea King. Move it." Kidd ordered, and watched with a smug feeling as Killer immediately left Kishi's side and joined his back on the rock.

"Yes, Captain." Killer droned, pocketing what looked like a small dagger at the same time.

Kidd purposely ignored this, and chalked up another reason to kill the fisherwoman later.

"Good luck, Mr. Kidd. Judging by how often we run into each other I'd say you're log pose is set to nearly the exact same route I take. So, I suppose I'll see you soon." Kidd noticed with slight satisfaction that, this time, she had said she 'will' see him soon. No hope to's or maybes. Despite everything, if someone was to give him advice about the Grand Line (not that he would pay any attention to it) the only person who's words he'd listen to would probably be her's. By now she'd know the type of person to survive the Grand Line.

And now, finally, she seemed to think he was one of them. He could have told her that weeks ago.

"It took you this long to figure out I was going to be the Pirate King?" Kidd scoffed, glaring the fisherwoman down in challenge.

"Ah. That's only because it _took _you this long to adapt to the Grand Line." Kishi called back, delighting in the scowl and muttered curses that most pirates would cringe upon hearing sent her way.

Killer watched the exchange between his captain and the fisherwoman with moderate interest. Kidd, for whatever reasons he may have, seemed stuck on the idea of getting this one fisherwoman to admit his dreams would be realised. Fascinating, if nothing else, for the time being.

At least this meant Killer would be able to learn a few more hunting tricks from the girl. Surprisingly enough, some of those techniques would probably have... interesting effects on the human body. He couldn't wait to try them out on some idiot marine. Or annoying civilian, whichever met his blades first.

"_Ka-mo-me no Sui-hei-san, ka-ke-a-shi suihei-san,  
__shiroi boshi, shiroi shatsu, shiroi fuku,_  
_nami o chappu chappu koete iku."_

Killer frowned beneath his mask and glanced over his shoulder at the small fishing boat which had just begun to pull away from the rock. And sure enough, standing next to the one-eyed cat, was the fisherwoman singing that odd sailor's song.

"I wish she'd just shut up. She's giving me a migrain." Kidd's voice grumbled to his left, distracting the Massacre Man momentarily. Despite his captain's words though, Killer couldn't help but notice Kidd didn't stop listening to the song until it was too far away to hear anymore.

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Seregunda: hey, for me that's a pretty fast update. I hope everyone liked it! R&R please, reviews attract plot bunnies!^-^


	5. Seastone

Seregunda: Thanks so much to those who reviewed the last chapter: Footballstar0, Blue Wolf Miko, OnHisFaceIsAMapOfTheWorld, Msaju17 and Demon Guard666. I love you guys!:) Sorry for the delay, family holiday in the mountains with zero wi-fi. But I'm back and raring to go now! Enjoy! ^-^

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Recently, Kishi had taken up what she liked to call a 'pet project'.

Taking note of the changes in the Kidd Pirates every time she ran into them was that project. Every time she ran into them, Killer became more and more well-informed. Kidd seemed more homicidal. Zombie became more subservant. And Mohawk seemed twitchier every time she laid her eyes on him. Kishi blamed stress personally, not all people were suited to this lifestyle.

And this time was no different.

Kishi, clutching a squirming Taiga tightly in her arms, stood with her jaw swinging open at the scene before her. Karakuri island is where she is currently standing. Shivering from cold, surrounded by cyborgs and insane pirates demanding who-knows-what from the few islanders that lived in the insane weather conditions.

"-hy say that? Don't think I'm _good_ enough to be Pirate King? _Strong_ enough?" Kidd sneered, sliding a saber he had summoned from the depths of a nearby weapons' shop deeper into the man's ribs.

"I-I... Di-did...n't..." the man trailed off in a fit of coughing as the flame-haired captain leered at him expectantly. The look quickly turned to one of impatience, however, when the man didn't speak again. Kidd tossed him aside, immediately deeming him as unimportant anymore.

A flicker of movement and Killer was beside him, scythes dripping with blood and pieces of what Kishi assumed to be the human body. Zombie's lips were slightly charred at the edges when he also returned, but he showed no signs of discomfort and carried on normally. Kishi had heard rumours from an old friend of Ishida's that the pirate could breath fire, and the evidence clearly supported this.

"I want everything of any value in my ship within the hour." Kidd growled, scanning the now-desolate town carelessly and nudging the dead bodies out of his way as he strode half-menacingly, half-triumphantly towards Kishi and came to a halt only two feet from her person. Even Taiga had the common sense to keep still.

"What do you think? Pirate King material yet?" Kidd scoffed, gesturing lazily to his handiwork, where buildings were still smoking and groaning, crying noises could be heard every once in a while from under the rubble. Those cries were getting fewer and farther in between with every second that passed and every source of the noise the Kidd Pirates located.

Kishi choked back a whimper of grief and swallowed thickly, reminding herself to be careful around this particular captain. Especially now he was still high on bloodlust, his pupils were dilated and his black lips twisted into what could be called either a grimace or a smile.

"Gol D. Roger. He never killed a town of civilians." Kishi answered shortly, struggling to keep her voice straight, and failing as it cracked at the end as the homicidal captain's brow furrowed at the words.

"He also lost his title because of the marines. There's no marine in the world, new or old, that will be able to stop me." Kidd sneered, and for a second, maybe even less, Kishi felt a flash of pity for the man that could take her life in moments.

"Marines? Is that so..." Kishi released the one-eyed cat slowly and allowed him to stalk away from the danger jealously, wishing she could just slink away too.

Kidd seemed to seethe at her choice of words, and clenched and unclenched his fists, duly aware of the damage he could cause to his future should he hit this one particular fisherwoman.

"Yes. In Loguetown. Now shut your conniving mouth, before I gut you where you stand." Kidd growled, and Kishi made no qualms about following his orders and remained still and silent until Killer approached the pair in his trademark stealth.

"All valuables are procured Captain. But, there's talk of fortune hidden in the old laboratory." Killer supplied, and Kidd's eyes clouded over contemplatively.

"How far, and how long will it take to get them to the ship? I don't want to waste any more time on this waste-of-space island." Kidd growled, clearly not needing the beri so badly he would trek the whole way across the island for it.

"It's in the next village over, Docter Vegapunk's first laboratory. Should take a half hour trip over and the same back." Killer supplied, living up to the title of walking-talking dictionary that Kishi had recently given him. Silently of course, she doubted a pirate with a nickname like 'Massacre Man' would be amused by something she'd come up with.

"Right. I'm sick of this fucking place anyway." Kidd stepped away from Kishi, who let out an inaudible sigh of relief as he stalked over to his crew and began giving orders to move out. Killer, however, made no signs of moving.

Kishi raised a curious brow as she tried to calm herself, and watched as the masked man stuck his hand into his pocket and withdrew and single, shimmering blue scale silently and watched for the fisherwoman's reaction.

Kishi bit back a small smile and took the proffered scale without a word and turned it over in her hands, inspecting it with a keen eye, before handing it back with a shrug.

"You did a good job, actually. But you're still hacking it off too hard, you broke the venomous glands that hold the enzymes at the roots, see? That's why the bottom of it has dried out to brown. You have to edge the knife completely under the scale before you even think of removing it." Kishi explained to the impassive man, who nodded once before slipping it back into his pocket with what Kishi could swear was a hum of success.

"See you soon." Killer said, and walked towards his captain who had begun traipsing west towards the lab.

Once they were out of sight, Kishi looked mournfully at the bodies littered around her. Thankfully the Kidd Pirates had docked at an outpost, and not the island's main village. Kishi herself had only ever been to this side of the island once, and not long enough to get to know anyone even at that. But these unnecessary deaths... got to her for some reason.

Kidd obviously felt no remorse himself for it, and if she was to believe the papers it wasn't the first time he had killed somebody for belittling his ambitions either. Civilian or not, Kidd was dangerous. Even to someone like her.

Shivering violently, Kishi glanced around in confusion. Everything was still and quiet now, but there was one thing missing.

"Taiga? He's gone, you can come back now!" Kishi called, squatting down on her haunches and trying to look under an upturned cart and various other debris for her cranky feline. No luck whatsoever on her part.

Scratching her chin bemusedly, Kishi shrugged and gave up before striding over to where a supply shop had once stood. It's not like anybody else around here was going to use whatever Kidd left behind anyway.

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"This is it? It's a bad excuse for a dump, let alone a lab." Kidd snorted, looking around at the musty, dust-covered machinery with distaste as his first mate pointedly began flicking through old blueprints for some sort of giant furnace.

"Vegapunk wasn't always the rich head of science for the marines he is today. He had very little funding back when he used this lab, so it should be rundown. It's these that we came for, not his interior design." Killer grunted, straightening up and flourishing complicated blueprints before his captain.

"But _these_ are the _fortunes _you were going on about? Grubby bits of paper?" Kidd scoffed, but pocketed them anyway. If Killer said they were valuable, then they were valuable. Not his fault people thought stupid machines were so important.

Killer pulled out a scythe and dug it into the hinge of a nearby broken-down robot curiously and peered into the twisted mess of wires, gears and what looked like rubber bands holding it together. Funding obviously was a problem if a great genius like Vegapunk had to rely on rubber bands.

"If you're finished your dissecting, can we leave? Our log pose is set and I want to get out of this boring place as quickly as possible." Kidd drawled, leaning heavily against what looked like a control panel of some sort.

Killer straightened up with a curt nod, and followed his Captain as they began moving various blueprints, but not all, out of the lab.

Just as they were finishing up, Kidd made his way over to the centre of the small area and stared up at what looked like a robot carved from rock with a pass remarkable frown on his face.

"Something wrong, Captain?" Killer had, as usual, moved stealthily behind his captain and followed his gaze up at the menacing construction.

"It looks like there's something inside it's head." Kidd remarked aloofly, not sounding as if he cared all that much. Killer stared into the hollow eye socket of the thing, and swore for just a second he saw of flicker of movement. But then it was gone, along with the feeling of being watched.

"I don't see anything, or sense anything either." Killer moved away from his slightly paranoid captain who followed, but kept glancing back over his shoulder at the stone robot.

"Well I do, and whatever it is I don't like it." Kidd growled, looked over his shoulder one final time, and turned to watch Killer fiddling with some switches on the main control panel.

"What're you doing? Move it, we're leaving." Kidd ordered, clearly bored of the place that held no excitement for him. Killer might be satisfied with junk metal and old doodles, but it bored Kidd like nothing else ever had.

"Yes Captain." Killer droned, and removed his hand from a large button that had a skull and crossbones on it.

"Is that a pirate symbol?" Zombie questioned, walking towards them with rolls of paper clutched in his arms.

"Of course not! What kind of idiot would think that?" Kidd scoffed as Killer nodded once in acknowledgement.

"It's a self-destruct button. Don't touch it if you don't want the World Government breathing down our necks more than they already are. Vegapunk's works are the most valuable in the world, destroy them and we die." Killer commented dryly, nudging the now frozen Zombie out of his way pointedly. Every member of the Kidd Pirates edged away from the control panel that their captain was leaning so casually against and continued with their work.

"Who cares? Anybody scared of the World Government should rot in a hole, nobody worthy of being Pirate King would worry about them." Kidd scoffed, but made no move towards the button as it was.

"Not scared Captain. Just wary. Until we're strong enough to take them on anyway." Killer handed the blueprints to Zombie, who scuffled off quickly to do the First Mate's bidding.

"I don't like it." Kidd commented once again. His First Mate didn't even bother turn to look at him.

"You don't have to." he said, still not turning around but staring intently at the control panel as if just looking at it would give him the power to understand it's mechanics. For all Kidd knew, it might as well work that way. Killer always did have odd interests.

"Not that, _that_." Killer turned to look at his Captain, finally, and saw what the flame-haired man was pointing at. Once again, it was the rock robot.

"You don't have to like that either. Just leave it alone." Killer sighed, knowing his captain would definitely not drop the subject now that he had taken it up.

"What's that inside it's head?" Kidd squinted, leering up at the impassive machine with malice.

"Whatever Vegapunk put in there I suppose." Killer answered calmly, turning back to the panel once more after losing interest again.

"But it's _moving_." Kidd protested, walking closer to the large machine.

"_Repel_." Kidd raised his arm, but nothing happened.

"Oi, Vegapunk worked with machines you said. There isn't an ounce of metal in this thing, why would he have a lump of rock sitting in the middle of his lab?" Kidd called out and Killer felt the sudden urge to massage his temples under his mask. His captain was less trying when bored, but when he found something he was interested in the questions never stopped. For some reason Kidd decided whatever came out of Killer's mouth was right, so anything and everything they passed by Kidd nagged him about.

"I don't know. Why don't you ask him?" Killer responded glumly, barely able to keep the sarcasm from his voice. Not that it mattered, Kidd had stopped listening after the 'I don't know'.

After a minute more of packing, the Kidd Pirates had left to bring the blueprints back to the ship leaving only Killer who was examining Vegapunk's works, and Kidd who was still scanning the large centrepiece of the lab.

"Mrowr." Killer's head snapped up at the sound, and he was only barely aware of his captain's cursing.

There, sitting smugly in the robot's eye socket, was that fat, one-eyed, crooked-tailed, droopy-whiskered cat that followed Kishi around. And seemed to be making a habit of following them around too.

"Fucking ugly cat, and I thought it was going to be something interesting." Kidd tsked, and crossed his arms moodily as the cat glared down at them, tail swishing.

"It seems annoyed at you." Killer commented, now slightly amused at the fact the cat wouldn't take it's eye off Kidd and followed his every move.

"_Repel." _Kidd growled, and a ratchet flew threw the air and hit the rock just inches from Taiga's head. The cat scarpered immediately back into the stone skull and let out a feral hiss. Kidd laughed and turned around to face Killer who had now straightened up and seemed ready to leave.

"Finally." Kidd had only taken one step when a harsh creaking noise accompanied by the groan of joints unused to moving filled his ears. Snapping his head around so quickly it almost gave him whiplash, Kidd had looked around in time to see the large rock robot teetering forward and, slowly at first but quickly speeding up, falling quickly towards him.

_"Repel!"_ Kidd shouted only seconds before the large robot had hit the ground, realising in a split second that it wouldn't do any good seeing as there was no metal in it's body.

When the dust had cleared, one could only just make out the forms of two bodies lying half-submerged underneath the stone robot. Kidd had been standing near the stomach area, so his torso was sticking out from the side, around the area where the ribs would be. Killer, getting extremely unlucky, was caught underneath the heaviest part: the head, and wasn't moving much.

"What the hell just happened?" Kidd shouted, but broke into a fit of coughing at the end, losing energy quickly.

"We were crushed because you pissed off that cat." Killer groaned and Kidd twisted his head around just in time to see said cat crawl out of the robot's eye socket with as much dignity as it could manage and sit inches from Killer's mask. Which was now chipped at the edges.

"That fucking cat couldn't do that if it tried... Urgh, what the hell's happening to me?" Kidd moaned, his body racked with shivers as he felt more and more drained with every passing second.

Taiga strutted towards the fallen captain and as it drew closer, the flame-haired man got the answer to his question.

"That bitch ripped out the wires." Kidd mumbled, his eyes getting foggy, but he could still see the red wire dangling from the cat's mouth like a prize.

"Wires in a stone?" Killer asked, a little more loudly this time. Clearly regaining strength as Kidd was losing it.

"How should I know about this tech shit? Vegapunk's a genius, right? Put it down to that." Kidd snapped, but only lost more energy as he lost his temper.

"Damnit." Kidd groaned and let his head hit the floor.

"It's made from seastone. The robot that is." Killer said after a moment's silence. This certainly caught his captain's attention.

"A seastone robot? Heh, probably one of the more dangerous ones we've met." Kidd sighed and forced himself to calm down, trying to get himself to trust his First Mate. This is why Devil Fruit-Normal Humans made good teams. One's weakness can be overcome by the other.

"It's too heavy, seastone is ten times thicker than normal stone. That's why they only use concentrate in the cuffs, nets and underneath ships. This is a hundred per cent seastone. I can't lift it." Killer explained, and Kidd's eyes, which he had shut momentarily, flew open in panic.

"We'll just have to wait for the crew to come back then." Kidd's eyes turned hard as he glared at the cat dangling a wire merely inches from his face tauntingly.

"You told them you didn't know when we'd finish. It could be tomorrow until they come back, can you last?" Killer asked, his voice unusually calm for the situation and, strangely, calmed his captain down.

"I will." Kidd grunted confidently, not moving a muscle as the cat sat on the area between his shoulder blades even though he had one arm free. He didn't have the energy to do anything now, except wait in hope that someone would feel something wasn't right.

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Hours had passed, Kidd didn't know how many, when the voice broke the almost eternal silence of the dilapidated lab.

_"Well my heart knows me better than I know myself_  
_So I'm gonna let it do all the talking._  
_I came across a place in the middle of nowhere_  
_With a big black horse and a cherry tree._

_I felt a little fear upon my back_  
_He said "Don't look back, just keep on walking."_  
_When the big black horse said, "Hey lady!" _  
_Said, "Look this way, will you marry me?"_

_But I said no, no, no, no-no-no_  
_I said no, no, you're not the one for me_  
_No, no, no, no-no-no_  
_I said no, no, you're not the one for me."_

The voice had a familiar ring to it, but in the foggy depths of Kidd's hazy and unfocused mind he couldn't quite place it. That is, until a shrill trill of the name "Taiga!" eechoed throughout the lab, accompanied by a "so this is where you've been!"

Kidd, failing to actually form words, let out a muffled snarl which went unheard by the voice.

"Kishi." Kidd blinked, confused. That wasn't his voice that had said that.

"AAIIIEE!" a thunk, thud, and the sound of hundreds of papers fluttering to the floor sounded out before the voice, female, cursed loudly. Clearly just to recover from the shock she had just experienced.

"Killer? What on earth are you doing underneath that rock?" she whimpered, and let Taiga down on the ground again.

"Stuck. Kidd's down there but it's seastone so we can't get out. Could you move it?" Killer asked, not enjoying this position even a little.

"I'll try, there's boud to be something in here that'll do the trick." Kishi agreed without asking any questions, a trait Killer found just now that he admired. Especially when the answer to the question would be 'your cat tricked us'. That didn't sound like something a Massacre Man would say.

A few minutes of scuffling later, Kishi reappeared with what looked like a remote control for a child's toy clutched in her hands.

Killer, not liking the looks of where this was going, remained characteristically silent as she pointed the small device at the robot and fiddled with a few knobs before a rumbling sound accompanied by whirring and clicking of gears filled their ears and the robot, surprisingly agile for something it's size, slowly got to it's feet and resumed it's position in the centre of the room before Kishi switched it off again.

"How did you know to do that?" Killer asked curiously, rubbing his wrists now that they were finally free.

"His original model, this model, didn't quite work out so miniature ones were sold as children's toys a few years back. Any child with a half-decent childhood knows how to work one of these." Kishi laughed, making the giant robot wave a stone arm enthusiastically.

"I must have missed them." Killer commented dryly. Kishi refrained from telling him that of course he missed them because someone who named their child 'Killer' was unlikely to have bought him a miniature robot toy.

"Bastard." a voice groaned from floor level, and Kishi allowed her gaze to drift downwards to where Kidd was lying spread-eagled on the floor with Taiga sitting smugly on his stomach. Taunting the captain seemed to be his new favourite past time. Kidd didn't seem to have the energy to move.

"Get off Taiga." Kishi shooed the cat off the fallen captain quickly and checked for a pulse, despite the fact that his eyes were open and following her movements.

"I'm alive... idiot." Kidd rasped, forcing himself to sit up and move awkwardly away from the source of help.

"Sorry. You guys have got everything under control." Kishi smiled with a soft chuckle and stood up again, cracking her back as she did so.

"How did you find us?" Killer asked, looping his already rcovering captain's arm over his shoulders for balance.

"I was looking for Taiga. I wanted to shove off so I came looking for him, I think he likes following you guys so I followed you here. I saw your crew back at your ship so I didn't expect you to still be here." Kishi explained, pickinh up the fat cat and tucking him easily into the crook of her arm.

She got two grim and slightly horrified nods in return before she turned on her heel and left. Offering help now that they were free would be seen as an insult to men as prideful as Killer and Kidd now. Better for everybody if she just left now and met up with them again later.

Who knows, maybe next time Kidd won't threaten her life and slaughter a whole town just to prove a point. They were an interesting crew to observe, just like those Heart Pirates she ran into a few days ago.

After all, watching the transition from a newbie of the Grand Line to rookie to full-fledged pirate was always interesting. You never did know what anyone would be like in the end, although Kishi seriously doubted Kidd's crew would turn into peace-loving hippies anytime soon. Though that would be a sight.

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Seregunda: Well, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!^-^ Sorry again for the late chappie. The song I used in this chapter is 'Black Horse and a Cherry Tree' by KT Tunstall. R&R please people!XD


	6. Of Long Arms and Muzzles

Seregunda: Thanks so much to those who reviewed the last chapter: Psychotic Tendency, Msaju17, Aoihand and ichigo1508. I love you guys!:) See, this chappie was up a lot faster than the last one! I can compensate... sorta. And I changed the rating to T because I was being way over paranoid... for now. Might change it back later if it gets a little testy.

Oh yeah, and for ichigo1508, those songs are real actually! Kamome no Suihei-san was one I picked up by just typing 'traditional Japanese songs' into the search engine, fanfiction won't let me type in the actual site sorry, and I just wanted cheerful songs for the others so I just used some I picked up from movies I've watched. Or X Factor, sadly, as is the case with the one below. I think it came from an old movie though, not sure which. Hope this helped! I've got all the song names and their singers that I've used at the end of each chapter too!XD

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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_"Well, shake it up, baby, now, (shake it up, baby)_  
_Twist and shout. (twist and shout)_  
_Cmon cmon, cmon, cmon, baby, now, (come on baby)_  
_Come on and work it on out. (work it on out)_

_Well, work it on out, honey. (work it on out)_  
_You know you look so good. (look so good)_  
_You know you got me goin, now, (got me goin)_  
_Just like I knew you would. (like I knew you would, oooh!)"_

Kishi laughed as the singer, an odd-looking man she'd never seen before with weird teeth and arms, began flailing about on the stage. He certainly was giving it his all, and it was showing. The man was amazing, probably the best Kishi had ever seen or heard before. He'd probably seem a lot better if he would stop contorting his arms into weird musical instruments and playing them. And Kishi could only wonder how he managed to sing the main verses and the back-up at the same time.

"-o I'll give you five million beri for it, deal?" the middle aged man across from her urged, and recaptured her attention once more. Kishi turned back to face him again, blinking owlishly before remembering just what he was talking about. The man slid a briefcase across to her as she nodded.

"Oh yeah, no problem. Here you go." Kishi placed what looked like a miniature pyramid on top of the bar table and handed it over. The man sitting across from her in the bar was some sort of scholar who wanted to secretly find out more about the void era. Kishi just gave most of the stuff that she happened to consider junk to him and got paid for it.

She herself wasn't all that bothered by the transaction, but she knew this guy was. He never gave her his real name for starters, not once. And every time they met up he looked different. One time he came in dressed like a drag queen, Kishi had been humiliated to be seen with him. She knew he was just making sure the government didn't kill him for going against their orders, but there was being cautious and making a fool of yourself. Both very different things.

So here Kishi is in San Faldo, 'the carnival city', sitting in probably the only remotely quiet bar in the whole place with a man she didn't really know. Of all the places this guy could have met her in, he chose this bar. Which had bugged Kishi in the beginning, who wanted to ride the biggest roller coaster they had, but she calmed down when the music man came in and started playing. Things were a little more lively now, but the cheery music of the weirdo on stage didn't match the sombre atmosphere of the bar at all.

Said bar happened to be full of all the killjoys who were sick to death of this city, and had no interest in fun. Which resulted in a lot of grumbling, and complaining about their lives and why it's so bad.

In short, Kishi was sick to death of their complaining and wanted nothing more to hightail it out of there and have some real fun before it was time to leave again.

Just as Kishi's... acquaintance had bowed and left the table, the fisherwoman herself stood up and stretched out the kinks in her spine with a groan. She glanced at the make-shift stage sadly, the music-man's performance had ended a short while ago and the long-armed man was guffawing next to what appeared to be a pirate crew.

"There's a face I've never seen before." Kishi mused, tipping the waitress with just about enough money to avoid a death glare.

"Ya don't know him doll? Ah've only seen 'is bounty postah once or twice mahself, but that there's Skuh-ratsh-men A-pooh. Captain o' the On Air Pirates." the waitress supplied with a heavy accent that Kishi couldn't quite place. But, for some reason, made her think of cacti, tumbleweeds and guns.

"On Air Pirates? Guessing they're new on the scene, huh?" Kishi mused, watching as 'A-pooh' morphed his arm clarinet and blew out a loud tune behind one of his crewmates, who leaped nearly five feet in the air in fright. The captain just laughed, ignoring his crew's protests that he shouldn't make it his job to give them heart failure.

"Yup, thar's people that reckin he's gonna be one of the top contendah's of the rookies." the gossip-loving waitress seemed eager to please, her auburn curls bouncing with every enthusiastic nod of the head.

"Hm, where's he from?" Kishi asked, finding an odd liking towards this music-themed crew, even though she had yet to meet with them.

"Why hunny, he's from right here on the Grand Line! Some Long-arm tribe or somethin." now that the waitress seemed all out of information, Kishi thanked her quietly and began walking towards the exit determined to find her cat.

"Enjoyed my life story, did you?" the music-man's voice called out, still laced with all it's humour. Kishi turned and looked into the face of Scratchmen Apoo who, in the space of about a second, had managed to zoom practically the whole way across the bar and right behind her.

"Yes sir." Kishi grinned over her shoulder at him disarmingly. Apoo, who had been expecting a pirate of some sort, took a single step backwards in mild surprise.

"What crew you on?" he asked, and for some reason his hands started spinning invisible discs in the air, similar to a dj. Kishi's eyebrow twitched, she always did manage to attract the weird ones.

"Nobody's." she replied, taking one more step towards the door.

"You've got sailor's skin girl, I've lived on the Grand Line my whooole life. No way you ain't on a crew." he grinned, waiting for her to give up and tell him who she was spying on him for.

"I know, so have I, and I'm definitely not. I'm a fisherwoman, no pirate here." Kishi grinned and the Roar of the Sea looked bemusedly at her, not quite sure what to make of it but nodding and accepting it anyway.

"Oh and Apoo, Loved listening to you by the way. I hope to see you soon!" Kishi waved over her shoulder again and walked through the doors into the street that was probably on-par with a circus.

Leaving the On-Air pirates behind her, Kishi wandered through the streets humming the catchy song Apoo had been singing beforehand.

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Kishi boarded the _Pinta_ with aching feet, probably rotted teeth and hair that looked like those creepy troll toys children seemed to love so much.

She knew there was a reason she wanted to get out of that bar, San Faldo was probably the most fun place on the whole Grand Line! Between candyfloss, rollercoasters and miles of attractions and rides she had spent the whole day wandering through the streets. And had completely forgotten to feed Taiga.

"Come out boy, come on, I've got tu~na!" Kishi waved the fish about, hoping it would encourage the cranky cat to emerge from wherever it was hiding. No dice. So, as Kishi continued wandering around the deck that she could just _sense_ Taiga hadn't gotten too far from, she completely failed to notice her two observers and the giant ship looming over her own.

"This is childish, captain." Killer sighed, but nonetheless this comment didn't stop him from enjoying the show.

"Like I care, not like I've got anything else to do. If I kill another citizen they'll probably call the marines, headquarters is close enough to here." Kidd drawled, mildly entertained at the frantic searching Kishi was going through as he grasped the throat of a squirming one-eyed cat easily.

They didn't think she even noticed the Kidd Pirates' ship moored next to her own yet, so the captain and First Mate could look down easily enough with worrying about her noticing. Not that either of them would care if she did in the first place.

"Captain." at that icy tone, Kidd sighed and muttered something about being a stick in the mud before dropping the cat over the edge to land heavily on the deck of the small fishing boat beneath them.

"MMRRROOOWWWRRR!" Taiga shrieked but landed, as all cats seem to do, on all four paws. He hissed and spat up at the pirates above, which unfortunately acquired the attention of his owner.

"There you are. Sorry about not feeding you boy, here's some tuna!" Kishi thrust the limp fish in the cat's face, who glared distastefully at it and turned his nose away.

"Not hungry, huh? Guess you must have scrounged some food up from somewhere else then." Kishi mused and went below deck with the fish, most likely to put it in the small fridge they had, when Killer sensed his captain freeze, curse loudly, and make a bee-line straight for the kitchen.

After a short bout of shouting profanities, Kidd stomped back out on deck to where his First Mate watched bemusedly as he steamed fairly obviously.

"He got in our food stores?" Killer hazarded a guess, only to bring his captain's glare on himself.

"That cat is going to die. It's the only thing we've ever allowed live after the first time it's laughed at us, it's not going to stop, it's going to die." Kidd growled, his pupils dilated. Killer sighed inwardly, Kidd had been itching for a fight since they'd landed. But with Marine Headquarters only a seatrain ride away, Killer had managed to tone down his captain's natural murderous intent and his own morbid curiosity for just a short while. He had been wrong to think he'd be safe just because they were on their ship.

Killer watched almost bored as his captain jumped over the edge of their ship and onto Kishi's small one with a light thump. Kidd was grumbling manically to himself as he entered the cabin and leaped down the ladder, disappearing completely from Killer's view. Waiting no more than two seconds is what Killer would have expected before seeing the boat implode or shake in rhythm to Kidd's attacks. But surprisingly, nothing was happening.

Killer frowned beneath the mask, with his captain's temper the way it was, it was unlikely that he'd go for a silent stab in the back. He'd go all-out until he had her completely mangled. He strained his ears and, thankfully, Killer swore he heard shouting coming from below deck.

"I'll kill it, I swear I will!"

"Ah, please don't Mr. Kidd. I like the company."

"If you'd just _controlled_ that stupid animal, and stopped letting it do what it wants then..."

"Oh I bought a muzzle for him today if it's any consolation."

"No it's _not _a consolation! Would you ever just get _angry _it's stupid if only one person shouts!"

"But then it would count as a fight."

"_That's the whole point_!"

"No, I don't like fights. I usually lose."

"Then all the better for me!"

"Look, it's a chihuahua muzzle, so it'll definitely fit a cat."

"_I don't care about the f*****g muzzle_!"

And those were the last words of the 'conflict' Killer could hear. Killer rolled his eyes, not that anyone could see him do so, and leaped overboard after his captain and onto _Pinta_ with the controlled grace of an acrobat, unlike Kidd's previous almost elephantine jump.

Killer climbed patiently down the stairs and swore, the seconds he turned around, that he was dreaming. He had to be.

That ugly-as-hell cat had a miniature muzzle strapped around it's mouth and looked all the more murderous than usual. His captain was sitting at the rickety table rubbing his temples, a sure sign of one of those migraines that plague him when his frustration is pent up. And the purple-haired fisherwoman was serving said captain some sort of herbal tea.

"There, much better than killing anyone or getting angry. We're all happy and got what we want with no blood." Kishi preached, practically prancing about the kitchen happily that she had got her way, sort of. The menacing glare Kidd sent the girl's way at that moment, while it didn't seem to bother her very much, it froze Killer on the spot.

"Killer, would you like some tea too? I only have the fruit essences though. Pineapple, mango or strawberry?" Kishi sent a toothy grin the Massacre Man's way, who shook off the effects of Kidd's look immediately only to be stumped once again. What the hell was he supposed to say to that?

"I said I didn't want any!" Kidd snarled as Kishi placed a cup in front of him with a knowing grin. Killer couldn't help but notice the smell, whether it was meant as an insult or not Kishi had given his captain strawberry. Then again, any of those sweet fruits would be seen as an insult to a pirate like Kidd. Well, maybe not the pineapple, at least that one had spikes.

"No thank you." Killer responded calmly, hoping the girl wouldn't start trying to force some down his throat too. The last thing Killer wanted was to return to the crew reeking of sissy fruit.

"No problem." Kishi smiled almost-too-sweetly at Killer, who then realised exactly what game the fisherwoman was playing. Unless the person was a coward, wimp, plain annoying or arrogant Kidd was able to work himself into a battle-frenzy fairly easily. Especially since the man found almost everyone annoying with the exception of Killer and a few choice crew members.

But to not react at all, keep up a steady grin, never raise your voice or respond accordingly to what Kidd snaps at you. That was the way to deal with the captain. Killer had a monotone way of going about it, Zombie just did exactly what Kidd said when he said it. Apparently Kishi had figured this out and settled for just about annoying, but not enough to send even Kidd over the top.

"What the hell? Why listen to him?" or not.

"Ma~ Killer-san seems relaxed enough. He doesn't need tea." she retorted, holding the cup up to the captain's face.

"Drink and I promise that muzzle will never leave Taiga's face except when I need to feed him!" Kishi swore, crossing her finger over her heart childishly.

"You should do that anyway!" Kidd snarled, but took the cup anyway and, with a warning glance at Killer to never mention this again, he downed the whole cup in one go.

"Happy now?" Kidd hissed, blanching slightly at the disarming smile sent his way after his words.

"Ecstatic." she chirped.

"We're leaving." Kidd announced, shoving his chair back with a screech that made Kishi wince and rub her left ear. Killer nodded once at Kishi before following his captain back up the ladder, only slightly more agile than his captain who had a bulkier frame than his own.

"Shit, I reek of the stuff." Kidd complained as he walked up the gangplank to his ship. Killer sniffed the air, who was walking about three feet behind the captain and found it to be true. The smell of strawberries hung in the air around the flame-haired man. He was like a walking air freshener.

"The crew won't notice." Killer answered blandly, silently adding in his head that there's no chance they'd miss it but there's also no chance they'd say it in fear of antagonising the already temperamental enough captain.

Seconds after the two bounty heads of the Kidd Pirates boarded their ship, a loud noise from the _Pinta _made them look down once more to see Kishi laughing at about five people surrounding her on deck. The leader was a man with freakish arms and teeth who was the main participator in the noise.

_"You know you're a twisty little girl, (twist little girl)_  
_You know you twist so fine. (twist so fine)_  
_Come on and twist a little closer, now, (twist a little closer)_  
_And let me know that you're mine. (let me know you're mine oooh)_

_Well, shake it up, baby, now, (shake it up, baby)_  
_Twist and shout. (twist and shout)_  
_Cmon cmon, cmon, cmon, baby, now, (come on baby)_  
_Come on and work it on out. (work it on out)"_

"He had better stop that racket, or he's dead. Who the hell is he?" Kidd snarled, turning to Killer who once again wondered at the fact Kidd assumed he knew everything there was to know. Even though he did know this time.

"Scratchmen Apoo, captain of the On-Air Pirates." Killer supplied easily, watching as Kidd took in the little performance below.

"Some other day." Kidd's voice sounded as if it had dropped a few degrees. It wasn't a snarl, growl or a snap. It was the trademark watch-out-for-your-skin tone that Kidd was so fond of when he got serious. Apoo just had bad timing, one hour later and Kidd would have calmed down enough to not care as much about the noise. Oh well, the 'Roar of the Seas' seemed like someone they might have to face in the future anyway, so no harm done.

Killer watched with various degrees of amusement as Kishi subtly tried to get the crew off her ship. With zero success. The On-Air Pirates decided they would throw some sort of all-night music party, on Kishi's boat. Which the fisherwoman didn't seem all that happy about, and Killer knew his captain wouldn't exactly be thrilled by the idea either.

After a few hours of non-stop festivities, not including the constant amusement around them, Kishi finally managed to convince them to just leave. At two in the morning. Finally, even the Roar of the Seas seemed roared out of it.

"Finally!" a distinctive voice belonging to a typically cranky captain echoed down from the boat above her own.

"Couldn't agree with you more!" Kishi called back with a laugh, before double-checking the strap on Taiga's muzzle and buckling it back in place diligently.

"_Ka-mo-me no sui-hei-san, na-ran-da suihei-san,_  
_shiroi boshi, shiroi shatsu, shiroi fuku,_  
_nami ni chappu chappu ukande-ru."_

_"_Shut the hell up!" Came Kidd's voice once again, cutting Kishi off.

"Sorry, sorry." Kishi laughed, before moving down below deck and maneuvering herself into the hammock. Some things, despite the 'Grand Line Effect' as Kishi liked to call it, will never change.

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Seregunda: Hope you enjoyed this chapter! And just so everyone knows, although I'm sure you got the picture, the misspellings done on the waitress' part were on purpose over her accent. The song in this one, other than Kamome no Suihei-san which I'm sure people are sick to death of me mentioning, is 'Twist and Shout' by the Beatles. Except I heard it, sadly, for the first time by Olly Murs on the X Factor which I don't know why I remember. R&R please!

Like it? Hate it? Say it!


	7. The days of Pinta

Seregunda: Thanks so much to those who reviewed the last chapter: Psychotic Tendency, Msaju17, Aoihand, ichigo1508, wildroadrunner, dadeedoo, OnHisFaceIsAMapOfTheWorld and poisonliz. I love you guys!:)

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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"You find? No go if no find."

"No, I don't 'find'! How the fucking hell am I supposed to find something you can't even describe to us?" Kidd, to say the least, was severely pissed off with the muscular tribesman. Who was now watching him with wide almost childlike curiosity.

"No go if no find." he repeated, and Killer literally had to place a hand on his captain's shoulders to refrain him from decapitating what could be their only ticket off the island. And a solid, blank look was directed at the fisherwoman and her cat who were laughing openly at the scene before them. Killer had to take a deep breath to calm himself and go over everything that had somehow managed to pile up in his head.

Place: Killer couldn't find it on maps, so for now it was officially unnamed. The natives just called it 'The Land'.

Time: about five days after the strawberry scent wore off Kidd. Which took two days.

Circumstance: Whatever freakish weather patterns are around the jungle island, caused whirlpools to surround it. Mohawk had managed to successfully get the ship through, but now the Kidd Pirates were 100 per cent stranded. Then, Kishi popped up with one of the tribesmen blabbing about a 'sacred stone'.

In short Kishi, who was in possession of one of these stones herself, was enjoying her time here. The people were generous, although simple-minded. And that made them the polar opposites of the cruel and strategic-minded Kidd Pirates, which made for a good show. Especially when it came to explanations, like now. The Kidd Pirates liked precise and concise instructions, not rambled vague and not-at-all very accurate observations and tribal beliefs.

"Big water's gift, if big water pleased big water gives gift." the tribesman nodded sagely, as Kidd fumed silently. Kishi had never seen someone turn so red from anger before, his face matched his hair perfectly.

"Hey Sunda, is it alright if I lend a hand? I already have big water's gift after all." Kishi voiced out, earning a silent praise of thanks from Killer and yet another angry tick appeared on Kidd's temple.

"You please big water, help volcano-head." the tribesman, Sunda, nodded once and stood to his feet slowly. Kishi, for just a short second, appreciated the way his muscles rippled beneath his skin.

"Will do! These newbies need a hand, for just a short while longer anyway." Kishi grinned toothily and pulled herself to her feet, albeit a lot less gracefully than any of the tribesmen or pirates around her.

"We don't need help, especially from somebody as weak as you." Kidd snarled as soon as they were out of earshot, Kishi could tell the man was itching to turn around and slaughter the islanders but was restraining himself only because of Killer's presence.

"In that case, I wish you luck finding 'big water's gift'." Kishi chuckled and hopped on board the _Pinta _which, because the islanders had no need for large boats because of the whirlpools, was beached on the shore like some sort of miniature whale.

"Captain didn't mean it that way, more information on the subject is something we wouldn't turn down." Killer droned, and Kishi almost had to double check to see if Killer had actually contradicted what his captain had said. Somehow, it just didn't sound right coming from Killer's mouth.

"Killer, you should respect your captain." Kidd's voice sounded as if it reached subzero levels, and Kishi noticed the massacre man freeze up and give a small, curt nod in acknowledgement.

"Big water's gift is just a blue stone. Completely solid in colour with no variations, a perfect sphere,and there's some sort of liquid you can see sloshing around in it when you shake it. They're not dangerous to find or anything, it's just boring. Sift through the sand in the shallows of the ocean, there's always one around but they're damn near impossible to find. Took me two and a half days." Kishi supplied, despite the captain's wishes. Either way, he listened despite the act he put up and Killer gave yet another disciplined nod.

"Good luck!" Kishi called out after the first mate and captain who had begun crossing the beach to where their own ship was beached in the same manner her own was. Neither gave any sign that they might have heard her, even though it was impossible for them not to have seeing as how they hadn't made it so much as twenty metres from _Pinta _yet.

Kishi glanced back at the ocean, it had gone too far out for her to even think of taking off until dusk. And it wasn't even lunch time yet.

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Eight hours, forty nine minutes and four seconds. That was how long the Kidd Pirates had been digging through the sand for that stupid blue stone. So far. It wasn't too bad for the first twenty minutes, until Killer had pointed something out that would have taken Kidd another half hour to discover. Every rock on the bloody island was blue.

That _should _mean they were lucky, but nooo. These rocks weren't spherical enough, weren't blue enough, and not a single one had something sloshing around inside it!

_"Traveling in a fried-out combie_  
_On a hippie trail, head full of zombie_  
_I met a strange lady, she made me nervous_  
_She took me in and gave me breakfast_  
_And she said,_

_"Do you come from a land down under?_  
_Where women glow and men plunder?_  
_Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?_  
_You better run, you better take cover."_

Kidd couldn't help but listen to the song the fisherwoman was singing as he dug bitterly through the sand. Why the fuck did she always sing those upbeat, annoying songs? Could she not, just once, at least sing a song that made _sense_? What the hell was a fried-out combie? Maybe Killer knew...

_"Buying bread from a man in Brussels_  
_He was six-foot-four and full of muscles_  
_I said, "Do you speak-a my language?"_  
_He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich_  
_And he said,_

_"I come from a land down under_  
_Where beer does flow and men chunder_  
_Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?_  
_You better run, you better take cover."_

What had to be the weirdest part, Kidd decided, was the weird accent she decided she would sing in. It went with the song, he supposed, but it sounded stupid coming out of her mouth.

Kidd raised his head from his work, about to tell the fisherwoman to shut her trap because he was genuinely getting a headache, he paused. The tide had washed far enough up the beach for the _Pinta_ to take off.

And sure enough, that one-eyed cat was sneering out at the world from the prow of the ship as Kishi raised anchor. She was munching on some sort of fruit sandwhich that the man from earlier, Sunda, had given her the supplies for.

Kidd shook his head, deciding it would be pointless to even try. It's not as if she'd retaliate enough to get enough entertainment from anyway.

"Leaving?" Kidd nearly jumped out of his skin but, thankfully, had the self control to look as if he had known Killer was standing next to him all along. How long _had_ the massacre man been standing there anyway?

"Looks like it, kami her screeching was giving me a headache anyway." Kidd grumbled, rolling up his sleeves once more and pulling fistfuls of sand up through the water's surface.

Killer gave no indication that he had heard the captain, other than an odd grunt. Which could have really meant anything, Kidd had the suspicion that most of the time Killer paid little to no attention to what he was saying, but it would be such an un-pirate like thing to get annoyed over. Kidd decided to keep it to himself and fumed silently over it before sighing and finally attracting the first mate's attention.

"Killer, what the hell is a combie?" the silence that followed said more about that question than any words could. Killer walked away, pretending he hadn't heard the red-head. Despite the whole 'magnet man' thing, Kidd never really had much interest in machines.

Humming the catchy tune, Kishi began preparing _Pinta _for the voyage-to-come through the whirlpools. Even with those blue stones it took a lot out of a ship to cross them, especially one as old and small as her own.

Hopping down into the living area of her ship she opened the only window and stuck her head out to look at the only part of the engine that was exposed. A pale blue hue glowed softly up at her from where she had stuck the stone above the main propellers.

Grinning, Kishi hauled herself back inside and moved up into the cabin, pulling afew levers and starting her up. Satisfied that the engine was purring smoothly, Kishi was about to pull out off the island before Taiga's caterwauling grabbed her attention from out on deck.

Cursing quietly, Kishi dragged herself over to the back of the ship where Taiga was glaring down at the sand that Kishi had just managed to push her boat out of. Wonderingly, Kishi stared down intensely for a few moments before seeing what the fuss was about. The sand was glowing blue.

She glanced down to the other side of the beach to where the Kidd Pirates had worked their way down to. They had already scanned this area, but obviously wouldn't have found the stone if her ship had spent the best part of the day sitting on it.

Groaning, Kishi leaped overboard and into the knee-deep water grudgingly. It was her fault they didn't find it after all.

She scraped it up off out of the sand and stared at it for a few seconds before calling out to the only member of the crew that she felt wouldn't gut her in two seconds.

"Yo, Killer!" and ironically, the member she felt safest around had the most threatening name. The masked man glanced up at the fisherwoman just in time to snatch the stone flying towards his head out of the air.

Opening his fist, Killer's confusion lifted as he concluded that, no the purple haired woman had not gone insane and decided to throw rocks at murderers. The stone he held in his palm was a perfect sphere, the same flat blue colour as the afternoon sky, and he could see whatever was making the stone blue swishing around inside.

"We said we didn't _need_ your help!" ouch. Killer turned his head to the side to appraise his now-furious captain. The girl in question laughed and sat on the port side of her boat, legs swinging freely over the side. She looked like an eight year old for about a second there.

"Think of it as an apology gift from Taiga here, he found it!" Kishi reached down and pulled the ginger cat up into her lap, whic glared moodily out at the Kidd Pirates. Kidd glared right back up at it, but both captain and first mate were thinking the same thing. There was no way that demon found it for their sake.

There was a few seconds pause as Kishi hugged the cat to her chest while beaming widely, Kidd glared contemplatively up at them, and Killer watched the exchange bemusedly once again. Killer gave his captain five seconds to figure out what should be annoying him.

_One..._

_Two..._

_Thr-_

"Why the hell isn't that cat wearing it's ugly muzzle?" or maybe he'd surprise Killer for a change. Kishi seemed to freeze before a sheepish smile crept across her face again.

"Well, he seemed so uncomfortable! I mean, muzzles weren't built for cat faces you know. And the poor baby wouldn't hurt a fly!" Kishi cooed, tickling Taiga behind the ears who purred appreciatively.

"You said he'd wear a muzzle." Kidd growled, as Killer sighed inwardly, knowing his captain really didn't give a damn about the muzzle or not and only wanted to have a proper fight with the passive woman.

"Ah, I did. I apologise." Kishi placed Taiga back on the deck of the ship, and dropped back down in the ocean shakily. She dipped into a semi-respectful bow to the enraged captain which did nothing at all to quench his rage.

"You said he'd wear it no matter what except when you were feeding him." Kidd responded coldly, his tone dripping in malice.

"Today was the first day I removed it, I apologise." Kishi repeated, not raising her head. Kami only knows what kind of rage Kidd would fly into if she played any card other than completely submissive.

"Killer, take the stone and fix it on the ship." Kidd ordered, the first mate hesitated for only a seconds before nodding in agreement and heading off with only a whisper of caution into Kidd's ear. Who looked like he didn't care one bit and wasn't going to listen no matter what had been said.

"I'll put it back on right now, you can even watch me do it." Kishi said, nerves getting the better of her as her voice cracked under pressure. Why the hell did he care so much about a muzzle anyway? Taiga's a cat, not a convicted felon!

Kishi made her way up onto _Pinta _more than a little unnerved by the uncharacteristically silent captain following her diligently. Taiga strutted up to her with a mournful mew of protest as she fixed the muzzle about his head again.

"You didn't keep your promise." Kidd stated a little too calmly, crossing his arms and leaning against the walls of the cabin like a statue.

Kishi didn't speak, only nodded in response. Which didn't seem to do her any favours as the captain strode across the entire length of the ship in four short steps. Oddly, all Kishi could think of as Kidd grabbed the front of her plain white tank top and lifted her nearly a foot of the ground was how glad she was her clothes were made to be sturdy.

To avoid being choked completely, Kishi took hold of his fist with both of her hands and suspended herself slightly. Not enough to annoy him with but enough to live.

"It's back on..." Kishi croaked out and a maniacal sneer plastered itself on the captain's face.

"You _still _think this is about the damn cat?_ This-" _Kidd stressed, hoisting her up a little further into the air. "This is for belittling me, my crew, saying I've got no chance at being Pirate King-" Kidd was rambling now, and was saying things Kishi knew she'd never dream of saying. Things she knew he must have been told by someone, but it sure as hell wasn't her!

"Kidd, I never said you've got no chance at being King. You've as much as anyone else..." Kishi choked out, starting to wriggle around to try and get more oxygen into her system.

"No, more! I've got _more _of a chance! I'm stronger than them all!" Kidd snarled as Kishi kept quiet, praying silently that this would work. Sucking up to Kidd in the state she was in right now would get her killed, and disagreeing with him would get her killed too.

"Not more, the same." Kishi grunted, watching as Kidd's eyes began to lose the mania but the bloodlust was still there.

"How?" Kidd's voice took on a more normal, almost conversational tone. He seemed at least curious about what she had to say, Kishi grinned inwardly. At least the guy had the sense to listen to the advice of those more experienced in something than he was.

"Don't get me wrong, you are strong I'm not taking that from you. But a lot of the other upcoming rookies are too, by the time you get to Saboady Archipelago you'll know exactly who your main competition is. The top five captains are the ones to watch by the time you get there, but being at the top once there means nothing. Other than yourself, I'd say watch out for Monkey D. Luffy and Trafalgar Law." Kishi summarised watching as Kidd's eyes clouded over once more in thought, probably remembering their bounty posters from somewhere.

"A kid that looks like a scarecrow, and a doctor? Looks like being Pirate King got that bit easier!" Kidd scoffed, finally able to put a face to the names.

Kishi stared back, expressionless, as Kidd lowered her back down onto the deck slowly.

"Thanks." Kishi mumbled as her feet touched the floor, she massaged her neck slowly when Kidd turned and looked at her as if she had grown another head.

"At least get angry! I had you dangling in midair and you _thank_ me?" Kidd _almost _shrieked. But shrieking would be girly so he definitely wouldn't do something like that.

"Yes, but you put me down too. Thank you." Kishi beamed, and Kidd had to look away to stop feeling like an idiot. Arguments really weren't any fun when the other person didn't even _try_ to fight back.

And then, suddenly and without any reason, a lump of metal flew up through the deck towards the flame-haired captain. Who ducked just in time and turned to glare accusingly at Kishi who didn't even respond and only stared in absolute, complete horror.

Kidd soon realised that, as sometimes happens when he's angry or stressed, he had released a magnetic pulse to calm himself down. Of course he had forgotten exactly what made the little fishing boat move...

"My engine!" Kishi wailed, stumbling over to the destroyed piece of machinery in unabashed misery. Kidd was a little confused, he wasn't angry so shouting was ruled out. Giving orders should do, right?

"Get up." Kidd said coolly and watched with satisfaction as the woman stood up, sniffling a little.

"Fix it yourself." Kidd continued, but his expression changed from confident to confused in two seconds when Kishi's face took on an expression of pure, unadulterated rage for the first time since he'd known her.

"Fix it? _Fix it_? My _grandfather_ built that engine! What the hell makes you think I know how to _fix it_? It was one of the two of it's kind!" Kishi hissed, and Kidd smirked triumphantly before Kishi realised she had given the man in front of her exactly what he wanted: a good fight. After a moment of regret Kishi realised something else: right now was the first time she's been too angry to give a damn.

"Then get a different engine." Kidd snarled carelessly. He didn't see the problem as long as the little fishing boat moved.

"How the hell am I supposed to do that without getting an entirely different boat? The whole thing is wired for that particular engine, the levers and all the electrics, everything!" Kishi screeched, waving what looked like a wrench in Kidd's face. The magnet man muttered _repel_ and the tool flew from the woman's hands into the water.

The sound of the wrench hitting the surface of the water could be heard easily from the deck. Silence ensued for at least a minute, and the tension was killing Kidd. He wanted nothing more than for her to completely blow up, no more controlled and easy replies or even worse placating him. He wanted her to scream, yell at him and eventually beg for mercy.

To his complete and utter dismay, Kishi took a single deep breath before continuing calmly.

"I demand compensation." is all she said, but those three words set off alarm bells in Kidd's head so loud he thought his head would explode.

"What compensation? Just fix your damn boat!" Kidd hissed, already not liking where this was going.

"No. That is beyond my ability, I'm no mechanic. I just know how to push the buttons. Now, I believe more than one of my... close friends are in the area. Unless you want an uproar, I suggest you go along with what I say." Kishi hated playing this card, it felt wrong and felt almost as if she was so weak she needed someone else to do work for her. But, sadly, this seemed to be the only option at the time for dealing with a certain Eustass 'Captain' Kidd.

"... What do you want?" Kidd sighed, knowing he'd hear it from Killer later if he disagreed with the girl.

"_Pinta,_ like I said, is one of the _two _of it's kind. The other I keep at Saboady, I lent it to a friend that needed it for a week. You're going there anyway, get me and my stuff to Saboady and I'll be out of your hair." Kishi watched as Kidd seemed to deflate in relief, making her wonder just what on earth he expected her to say.

"Fine, there's a lot of room left on the ship anyway. Killer will show you the stuff." Kidd grunted, sounding more than a little gruff and left the boat and Kishi, who was still staring forlornly at the gigantic hole taken out of the deck that continued the entire way through the hull and into the water.

Shaking herself, Kishi jumped down into the living area quickly, determined to salvage all she could before the ship sunk. Not that all that much damage could be done, they were sitting in a metre and a half of water after all.

"Our new crewmate?" a familiar, monotonous voice drawled from about three feet behind her. Kishi managed with great difficulty not to jump.

"Kinda." she replied, and turned to face the speaker with a grin only a certain strawhat boy could compete with.

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Sereguda: Hm... it's when something that happens in the author's story that the author gets surprised at you know something is wrong... Oh well! The song used in this chapter is 'Down Under' by Men At Work. And yes, when I first heard the song I had to google 'combie' to actually find out what it meant. Who knew it meant ancient hippy truck? Thanks for reading so far!

Like it, hate it? Say it!^-^


	8. Um who?

Seregunda: Thanks so much to those who reviewed the last chapter: Psychotic Tendency, Msaju17, OnHisFaceIsAMapOfTheWorld and Moonlight Calls. I love you guys!:)

Oh yeah, and for those who asked about the blue stone... can't say all that much about it now because it's all going to be explained in this chapter! Thanks again!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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"Hm... it does a lot of things really. I guess, the most useful one is that it let's you pass by ocean currents?" Kishi phrased carefully, watching Killer carve an indentation into the mast and attach the blue stone to it carefully.

"How?" Killer asked bluntly. Kishi blinked and scratched her chin absentmindedly, unsure exactly how to sate the first mate's curiosity.

"Hm... well you've seen the stuff sloshing around inside, don't ask what it is 'cause I don't even know myself, well it forces the water immediately beneath it to mimic it's movements. That's why it's so important to keep it here in the mast, it's steady and in the centre of the ship. It won't work in storms though, just natural ocean currents. "

Kishi had been on the Kidd Pirates' ship for only one day and was already bored out of her skull. Kidd was too cranky, and most of the crew members were lewd and suggestive. The only person Kishi even relatively enjoyed spending time with was Killer, and he was fairly silent until you got him going about different methods of slaughtering people.

To be completely honest with herself, Kishi knew fully well that her actions early this morning had been a little... rash. The consequences were yet to be dealt out though, seeing as the plan had yet to be set in motion. Although, she couldn't change what she did now even if she tried to. She'd just been so _angry_. The man who's ship she was sailing on destroyed her home, she was born and raised on _Pinta _and now she couldn't sail it anymore.

So a little revenge was necessary. Just a little, and nothing harmful or fatal of course. Despite everything Kishi still didn't outright _hate_ the flame haired captain. Just thought he could stand to become the tiniest bit more humble.

Which is exactly why, after helping Killer with ocean's gift, she hid in the galley behind barrels of citrus fruits in a fetal position and refused to move. And of course Taiga, the king of self-preservation, joined her in her hiding place.

Surely it doesn't take _that _long to-

"WHERE THE HELL IS SHE?"

Oh, so it really doesn't take that long to realise it. Kishi wondered briefly whether some poor idiot pointed out to the captain what was wrong, or if the hot-tempered captain caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

Above her, she could hear shouting, the vague sound of metal scraping off wood, and the sound of heavy footfalls on the deck. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Kishi stood up a stretched slowly, working out every single kink in her muscles before heading towards the stairs that would lead her to the upper deck. She'd need to be limber for this because if her monologue fails it's fairly possible she'd be thrown overboard at the very least.

Kishi stepped up onto the upper deck, her face the very picture of innocent confusion once faced with the livid captain.

"What did you do?" Kidd's voice dropped well below freezing level, and Kishi was positive she could see his muscles trembling with rage.

"Oh? We match!" Kishi laughed, seemingly thrilled with this new revelation. Inwardly though, she was praying to every deity known to man that she wouldn't be found out.

Before her, stood Eustass 'Captain' Kidd. From bottom to top, it was traditional sea boots, marbled patterned pants, fluffy jacket with a bare chest, face amped up with black lipstick, and at the very top was hair the colour of ripe plums. Which clashed horribly with his outfit, skin tone and makeup by the way.

"_WHAT _did you _do_?" Kidd repeated, his tone absolutely venomous. Kishi could feel herself paling, really beginning to regret this now.

"Um, I've been helping Killer out with the blue stone since early morning. And then I went down to the galley for the rest of the morning. I really don't know how you managed to dye your hair purple." Kishi had to force down a bout of laughter, but she knew fully well that her twitching mouth and mirthful eyes gave her amusement away.

"Is this true?" Kidd turned on his first mate, who in turn responded with a grim but wondering nod. Kishi snickered at this, yesterday when she had first arrived on the ship she had gone to bed almost ridiculously early. Suffering from grief was her excuse, although it was partly true. She woke up at half four in the morning specifically for this trick. In the beginning she had no idea where she was going to get the dye, but in the end she settled for the food colouring that the cook, Jun, had stored in his cupboards. That and mixing in grape juice worked wonders, so after that all she had to do was pour the mixture into one of Kidd's shampoo bottles before he woke up and run like hell.

Then she returned to her room and pretended to be asleep like the good little girl she was and didn't get up again until she heard movement on deck. Thank kami Mohawk was on duty and it wasn't all that difficult to get past him.

Kidd simmered down, immediately believing everything that came out of Killer's mouth. Grudgingly, Kishi thought it was adorable Kidd never questioned anything that Killer said. Even though she knew a lot of people who trust others that much, it just seemed different coming from those two because you wouldn't expect it.

"Kill the cat." Kidd grunted suddenly, and Kishi almost felt the urge to clean her ears at this sudden turnaround.

"Taiga's down in the galley sleeping behind a couple of barrels. He hasn't even woken up yet, what on earth could he possibly have done this time?" Kishi sighed exasperatedly, she never was good at following other peoples' thought processes. Especially those as erratic and unpredictable as this used-to-be flame-haired captain.

"If it wasn't you, it was obviously the demon-cat! It's caused nothing but trouble every time I've seen it!" Kidd leered down at her, so close Kishi could actually almost see the red roots of his hair peeking through...

"Um, if it helps any it looks like the dye isn't permanent. If it was I wouldn't be able to see your roots in one day." Kishi stated blandly, causing Kidd to freeze up only moments away from wringing her neck.

"Don't you dare associate those girl-words with me again!" Kidd squawked angrily, completely off the topic of the 'demon-cat' now and intent on ensuring nobody on the ship would dare say that the infamous Eustass 'Captain' Kidd's roots are showing.

"What, roots? It happens to everyone who dyes their hair, not just girls." Kishi grumbled boredly, not really rising to the bait as much as the crew would have hoped.

"I _don't_ have roots!"

"Then what's that red stuff near your scalp? Surely your hair isn't naturally purple."

"Don't call it roots!"

"It's the only word I know for it though..."

"I said stop!"

"You know, if you just wash your hair a couple more times the purple will probably fade out.."

"..."

"Then you won't have roots anymore."

"JUST SHUT UP!"

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Killer watched Kishi with avid fascination over the next week. Her way was just something he felt had to be taken note of.

She borrowed the dinghy they used for a lifeboat once at dawn every day and disappeared until roughly dinner time. Her nets were always full of fish, occasionally scales or one time a large Sea King fang. Then she ate the fish she caught with the cat that was always with her after cleaning and cooking them properly. She never relied on the Kidd Pirates for anything if she could help it.

During her increasingly frequent bouts with Kidd she would keep up the easygoing personality the crew had come to associate with her. Even though that is probably why Kidd is so hellbent on getting a proper fight with her, Killer supposed.

Kidd has always had the insatiable thirst for breaking everything he owns, or hiding it away where nobody else could find it like a greedy child. Looks as if Kishi was one of the unlucky 'breakables'.

"Nonono, look if you cut it in a straight line all the juices will leak out right away. Look cut a jagged line diagonally across the spine, all the juices will run into the middle that way when you're cooking it." Killer glanced up during Kishi's mini-lecture to Jun, their 'cook'.

Although the word 'cook' was pushing it even though it's the term Kishi insisted on using, everyone else on the ship just called the portly man their 'resident can-opener'. Kami knows he can't do anything else in the kitchen, not that the rest of them were any better.

"Oh right. You're good at cooking, aren't you?" Jun turned his red face inquiringly towards the fisherwoman who waved off the praise with a knowing laugh.

"Don't say that until you've seen me cook anything but fish. Spending my life catching them, I'd want to be able to cook them well by now. Give me any other dish and it'll be a disaster. I'm serious, I couldn't even make _ice _right." Kishi waved the gutting knife at the cook, who laughed jovially.

Jun was probably the closest thing to normal that the Kidd Pirates had to offer. He was a large man, seriously large. It looked like he had five stomachs hanging over the waistband of those corduroy pants rather than one. His face was usually red or pink, it seemed natural though, and his hair was thick and curly. A middle-aged man of forty one. The only reason he really fit in with this odd crew was the mechanical arm he had sticking out of his left shoulder instead of a fleshy one.

He was the only person Kidd had brought from his home town, they had picked Killer up on the next island over.

To this day Killer couldn't see why Kidd had bothered, the man wasn't all that great of a fighter. Sure, his defense was good but he couldn't attack for shit. He seemed to have a similar opinion to Kishi on the whole 'violence' thing, being they try not to participate in it at all. And kami knows the man couldn't cook to save his life. And Killer doubted that his ferocious captain had any emotional attachments to the man, seeing as Kidd rarely gave Jun the time of day. Well, even the best first mate can't know what the captain's thinking _all _the time.

"You two, did you know each other before?" Killer asked, genuinely curious. The two got along too well too fast to be normal. Especially considering they had only been introduced yesterday. The cook and the fisherwoman glanced between each other before turning back to face the Massacre Man with a simultaneous answer:

"No."

Killer left it at that and turned in time to see a one-eyed cat slink slowly towards the pile of cod that Kishi and Jun were practicing on. As Kidd ordered, the muzzle was still in place.

Killer stood once again and grabbed the cat by the nape of it's neck and tossed it carelessly to the floor, not really caring where the tomcat ended up. Turns out, it ended up colliding with the wall, fairly hard too. Thankfully, Kishi didn't seem to notice anything but the sudden noise and turned around just in time to see Taiga stumble back to his paws. She shrugged and turned back to her mini-lecture.

There were times Killer was glad that Kishi had no future whatsoever as a pirate.

"Oi, I'm hungry." came the telltale voice of the captain. His hair, once purple, was red again. But if the sun shone right, you could still see the darker gleam in his hair. He dropped himself down onto a sturdy chair and glared at the two 'chefs' messing about in the kitchen.

"I said that twenty minutes ago." Killer informed his captain, who shot a disbelieving glare at the fisherwoman.

"You're not trying to tell me it's taken them twenty minutes to figure out how to open a can." Kidd turned his incredulous look towards the characteristically emotionless Massacre Man, who nodded easily. Clearly he wasn't all that bothered being told to wait for food. Kidd, however, wasn't nearly as patient as his first mate.

"Oi, I don't care what you're doing with those fish. Just give us food so we can leave." Kidd snapped, and Kishi looked over her shoulder at the captain while grabbing Jun's hand at the same time which was actually heading towards the cupboards filled with canned food on reflex.

"One more minute, then it's dinner time." Kishi grinned, disarming the captain completely when she picked up the large bronze bell that Jun usually rang when it was time for dinner. Much easier than going through the bother of finding everyone, but there was one major problem.

"Don't you da-" Kidd warned, but was cut off halfway through by the sound of the bell's clanging, which filled the whole kitchen and even when Kishi stopped ringing it the sound of it echoed through Kidd's head in pulsing throbs.

Just as the captain was about to open his mouth, no doubt to tell the fisherwoman off, said woman set two plates of seafood paella down before the captain and first mate with a cheerful chirp of 'dig in' before bustling back to help Jun with the who-knows-how-many remaining plates for the rest of the crew.

And then, the crew flooded in. The noise was indescribable, even to Kidd who was more than accustomed to eating with his rowdy shipmates. Apparently, a properly cooked meal had been greatly appreciated.

Kishi and Jun ran their legs off to serve everyone quickly, and once done they both leaned against the kitchen counter to watch the almost animalistic devouring of the food. It was scary how much men could eat when they were hungry enough, Kishi decided, and was extremely glad she was far enough away from them for them not to confuse one of her limbs with a shrimp cutlet.

"Mind helping out with tomorrow's dinner too?" Jun laughed, apparently delighted by this reaction. Kishi wondered just how bad the food might have been before to get this reception.

"Sure, like I said as long as it's fish. Take out anything else and you're on your own." Kishi joked, eliciting a good-natured laugh and a clap on the back from the large man. A shudder ran through her body, kami whoever the hell told her this man was weak can pay for her hospital bills themselves!

Kishi slipped out of the kitchen, rubbing her sore shoulder in self pity. It was dark out now, and an etherreal mist covered the deck of the ship. Even though Kishi knew it was just sea spray, it still looked amazing under the light of the stars she could just about make out overhead. Sadly, Kishi noticed, there was no full moon. Actually, she just couldn't see the moon, full or otherwise. A new moon. (Anybody who makes a twilight reference will _die_... well not die but they won't be getting any cookies)

"Mrowr." Kishi looked down and there, at her feet, was the ever-unfaithful one-eyed cat she'd grown to love.

"Hey there kitty. What have we done to ourselves this time, huh?" she murmured, bending down and scratching Taiga behind his ears. He purred contentedly, moving his head this way and that for better access.

Light splashing noises followed by a muffled thud brought Kishi's attention to the rear of the ship. Through the little Kishi could actually see, she managed to make out a tall, relatively burly figure with weirdly-shaped forearms.

"Mohahahaha!" it barked out in a weird, body-jerking laughter before taking the first steps of few towards Kishi who's feet were glued unwillingly to the spot.

"Who-?" Kishi managed to spit out, just as one massive hand inched towards her slowly.

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"_MROWR! HSSSA, MROWR!"_ the sound of Taiga hissing, spitting and screeching could be heard clearly from the kitchen below deck. Unconsciously, nearly every member of the crew's eyes fixed on Kidd for a split-second just to check if it was the captain's usual routine of torturing the animal, but upon seeing him each of the crew member's eyes flicked back to the steps with renewed curiosity.

Kidd, annoyed at the silent, although justifed, remarks, stood to his feet after stuffing the last cuttlefish into his mouth with a sigh. He was the captain, might as well go check what was going on, especially since it sounded as if Kishi was for once leaving the bloody cat to yowl it's lungs out instead of soothing it like she usually did.

Kidd stomped out onto the upper deck and scanned the area for the source of the noise. Not that it took very long to find it, the fisherwoman really needed to put that cat on a diet it was way too big.

Kicking the cat in the ribs to shut it up, which worked surprisingly well and earned him only a harmless claw scratch on his boots. The blissful silence was worth it.

"Where is that woman?" Kidd grumbled to himself, annoyed that he had to lower himself so much as to look for the fisherwoman who usually lounged about in plain sight. When she was actually on the ship anyway, and not out fishing.

"Boat's still there, cat's still there..." Kidd mumbled, no chance of her leaving the boat with those two left behind.

"Swimming?" Kidd chanced a glance overboard, knowing fully well there was no way a girl who grew up on the Grand Line would be so stupid as to try swimming at night. And, of course, he was right. No Kishi on the boat, no Kishi off the boat.

Shrugging easily, Kidd turned to head back down into the kitchen. He wasn't all to bothered about the purple-haired fisherwoman unless she was causing problems on his ship. If she wasn't here she wasn't a problem, now to see if he could snag a cask of sake from the kitchen...

Sadly, before he could do so an angry spitting noise grabbed his attention. Kidd turned to see a smug ginger cat sitting on a sheet of paper only a few metres away. Grumbling loudly, Kidd kicked the cat away again earning himself only a spiteful glare as he picked up the sheet. Scowling deeply, Kidd read it once, twice, three times before the words made any sense in his head. The scowl faded to a blank confused look as he read it the fourth time.

_To the captain, whoever you are._

_I've taken the purple-haired girl with me to a nearby island, where my hideout is situated. She's wonderfully interesting, you have taken good care of her.  
No hard feelings, and good luck in your future whatever that may be.  
_

_Signed,  
Macro.  
P.S. the underside of your ship is completely covered in mollusks. I'd take care of that if I were you before they eat through your floorboards._

Kidd stared at the sheet for two seconds, trying to figure out if he should treat this seriously or not. His brow furrowed in concentration, before letting out an angry, hissing breath.

"Killer, why the fuck would anybody want to kidnap _that _ugly bitch?" Kidd shouted, knowing he could be heard easily from the kitchen, but stomping annoyedly in the direction anyway. Confirmation of an order before you give one is a good chance you've made the right decision. Kidd just hoped this wouldn't turn into the massive headache he had a feeling it would.

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Seregunda: Well, hope you enjoyed it! Sorry it took a while, I was suffering from a common disease most students get called 'It's Summer so my Brain Died'. Said brain decided to cooperate today, so I hope the result was a good one! R&R please, please, please!XD


	9. Papanapples and blobfish

Seregunda: Thanks so much to those who reviewed the last chapter: Psychotic Tendency, Msaju17, Moonlight Calls, Skadi Skadi no Mi, MoonyMoonsault and poisonliz. I love you guys!:)

And for Skadi Skadi no Mi, you're going to hate me for giving a response like this but it's the truth, I never have a clue what's going to happen more than a chapter ahead in any of my stories!T-T It could be KiddxOC, KillerxOC, KillerxKidd, anything. Depends on what mood I'm in while I'm writing it I guess, and on what you wonderful readers prefer too of course.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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"Got it, here he is. Captain Macro of the Macro Fishman Pirates. Previous member of the Sunny Pirates." Killer supplied, holding up a bounty poster to a seriously pissed off Kidd, who glared at the fishman hatefully without taking the poster from his first mate.

"_This _is the freak that dared board my ship and take something, thinking we would miss it?" Kidd hissed, finally gripping the edges of the bounty poster with hands trembling with rage. Three consecutive claw marks could be seen carved into the pale skin near his wrist where Taiga managed scrawl the captain. Ever since Kishi had up and disappeared last night, the cat had turned into something akin to a ninja.

It attacked out of nowhere, scratching and biting anything in it's path before scarpering away quickly to where nobody could find it. Even though a full twenty four hours had yet to pass, every member of the Kidd Pirates had been attacked and some were now bordering on paranoia.

Kidd had originally planned to leave it be, Kishi's presence had always annoyed him on the ship as it was, so no matter. But the tiny detail that this... fish-head bastard had taken something from right underneath his nose and left that scathing note, on top of the schizo-cat, had managed to change his mind.

"Yes Captain. He's not very strong, but he's well-known for his intelligence among the fishmen. And the fact that he knew Fisher Tiger shouldn't be ignored either." Killer explained, delighting in the fact that it had only taken a day for his captain to come around. Usually it could take at least a week, at most three.

Killer watched easily, knowing there was no way Kidd could see him do so through the mask. His Captain had, without realising himself, placed his wrist in his mouth to soothe the angry scratches while going over the information Killer had managed to scrounge up. Killer shook his head and turned away to look out the porthole, his captain could take a prize for being simple-minded. Only in some aspects, however.

Battle-wise there was nobody with a sharper mind, socially there were hermits with better skills.

Thankfully, it was this general obliviousness that resulted in Kidd not realising where Taiga's hideout is. It was pure chance Killer himself had noticed the kindhearted Jun smuggling the cat back into some cupboards after a round of scratching and biting. Interesting, was the only word Killer could use to describe it. Within a few days, Kishi had managed to get on her side the one man on the ship Kidd would never blow up at, for whatever reasons those might be. So Killer kept quiet about it, waiting until somebody, which turned out to be Mohawk, complained to the captain. Who was ignored until the captain himself was bitten. Then it was war, and the bounty posters were whipped out.

"Where's he staying right now?" Kidd asked, his voice dropping down to a deadly whisper and Killer swore his eyes were starting to pop out of his head.

"Here..." Killer cringed inwardly at the awkward name that some idiot had given the island, "Papanapple Island. No people have been recorded living there since before the void era, clearly he's found a better use for it than gathering dust." Killer glanced up from the papers to see Kidd wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"So... we're going to this... _Papanapple _place then?" Kidd groaned, and Killer didn't even bother answer the question. Kidd was the captain, he decided where they went in the end, unless their navigator, Matsu, decided they wouldn't make it and needed to stop sooner.

"Right." Kidd grunted, realising that his first mate had stopped paying any attention to him, and stomped up the stairs and out of the map room to tell Matsu to change coordinates. Killer let his imagination run wild for two minutes before giving up and letting the captain do his job.

Macro is well known in the slave trade business, but typically aims for non-humans who sell for higher prices. Killer heard tell that the enigmatic fishman had recently had his sights set on some idiot mermaid. If that's the case, why settle for a non-human like Kishi whose injury, or death, would have the biggest names in the Grand Line breathing down your neck or worse. Not to mention the fact that she wouldn't sell for all that much with what she wears and the fact she always stank of fish. Or whatever else she managed to salvage.

This was where Killer gave up, clinical analysis only went so far in this case and his imagination had never been the best. Better to just leave the imaginings to his over-active captain and just supply the basic facts to fuel whatever the red-head could come up with. The results had always been interesting so far. Killer stood up slowly and, with one last confused glance at the stack of papers he'd been studying, closed the door quietly.

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Kidd scowled up at the over-zealous simian with disdain. It grunted back at him, a look of pure idiotic happiness etched into it's features as it sat on the rock eating a papanapple while watching the Kidd Pirates pass it for fourth time that day.

"You're a fucking _navigator_! How do you get us to the island and then get us lost the second we're here?" Kidd bellowed at the cowering Matsu, whose lip and the piercing that looped through it began to tremble.

"I-I r-r-really don't k-know h-how this could h-have happened! Th-the c-coordinates a-a-are r-right no matter w-what way I-I look at them!" he wailed, turning the map again in his hands, and coming to the conclusion once again that they had scoured every inch of the island so far.

Killer knew enough about maps to get by, not to the level their navigator did, but even as he glanced over Matsu's shoulder he could tell something was up. He himself could recognise every landmark on the map as something they had passed during the day, so they were obviously missing something.

Kidd knew they were here. He could _feel _it. Those fishmen never came off as discreet, and the snapped branches and webbed footprints littered across the island only proved their point. But it was a tiny island, they really should have found at least a trace of where they were hiding out by now. It had to be above ground, otherwise there would have been no point in taking the fisherwoman because she'd be dead.

Without warning, a papanapple skin was dropped from the canopy above landing mere millimetres from Kidd's boot. Kidd blinked before looking up, not in the least bothered seeing as it missed him anyway. His crew mimicked his actions and more than a few jaws dropped at the sight above them. Hundreds, no thousands, of monkeys almost identical to the one sitting on the boulder before them were looking down skittishly.

"Killer, what...?" Kidd couldn't finish the sentence. All those eyes staring down at them did something to him, he always hated being stared at. Not that he could do very much about it, an uninhabited island would only have so much metal and fishmen didn't really use technology or metal of any kind except the rare case with certain weapons.

"I get it." Killer said, not really speaking to anyone but himself. The monkeys above were huddled together, too many to live in the one place. As he scanned the area he noticed the increase in the amount of simians huddled towards the east... with less and less inhabiting the trees to the west. The side of the island with the sheer cliff face, known for it's... Killer blanched, not believing he hadn't though of it sooner, underwater sea caves.

Killer moved west swiftly, ignoring the crew's questioning yells from behind and wove deftly through the thick undergrowth until he couldn't anymore. He'd run out of land, and the keening cries of gulls about fifty feet below did nothing to encourage that.

"What the hell? Killer, when I ask you something and you don't know the answer you don't have to run away!" Kidd wheezed, finally catching up with his rigid first mate. Killer always did have less weight to carry, but it did still annoy Kidd to no end when the Massacre Man could, in this instance, run across an entire jungle without tripping over a single root or even seem out of breath. Kidd knew he could probably beat the slimmer man in a one on one fight, but the masked man's speed, endurance and overall elegance was something Kidd himself would probably never be able to match.

"They're down here." Killer nodded towards the cliff face, and watched blankly as Kidd's face turned a few shades pastier.

"_In the freaking water_?" he finally screeched, gesturing towards himself in a vaguely informative manner.

"Not in it, through it. Sea caves filled with air pockets are all around this island, that's where they'll be keeping Kishi." Killer informed the flame-haired captain, who blinked for two seconds in momentary confusion before the haze cleared from his eyes.

"Oh yeah, her." Kidd grunted with a shrug, and took a few careful steps towards the edge, peering over precariously.

Killer knew he should have expected his captain to forget the entire reason they were here, seeing as Kidd obviously didn't give a damn about the girl's welfare unless you count being able to ask her if he was worthy of the title or not, but for some reason Killer hadn't.

And, to top it all off, the massacre man was fully aware that his captain would flat-out refuse the crew to go in by themselves. And it was going to be a chore to figure out how exactly they were going to get Kidd kami-knows-how-far under sea level without killing him. This was going to be... interesting to say the least.

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Kidd watched through beady eyes as yet another gold severum swam by. Looking at all the fish was starting to make him queasy, but he sure as hell wasn't going to tell anyone else that. He kicked the cat that had been sitting near the window out of the way, it was obstructing his view.

He glanced down at himself in disgust before bringing his attention back to his first mate who was practically gliding through the water ahead of them, only returning to the surface every once and a while for a breath of air and returning once again. Apparently that mask could hold in quite a bit of air, so the massacre man could last about ten to twelve minutes under water without needing a refill.

Kidd himself was sitting in what could only be described as a barrel with a window. He was practically being dragged along the seafloor by Mohawk and Zombie who were both, miraculously, in possession of underwater respirators. How Killer managed to organise all this in under twenty minutes was beyond the captain, but he wasn't going to complain about it. The only crew members present were Kidd himself, Killer, Mohawk and Zombie. Since Killer deemed it a 'hostile environment' the rest of the crew had been left behind to guard the ship. Taiga didn't count, it just hopped into Kidd's submersible as the hatch was being closed.

Kidd snapped out of his reverie when Killer rapped once on the glass and, upon looking out curiously, Kidd saw what the fuss was about. A fishman was swimming out of what looked to be a giant cavern carved into the rock wall that was the cliff. He was large, green, and swimming right past the Kidd Pirates without giving them so much as a glance. To say th least he seemed a little dim and kept swimming off in the other direction.

The Kidd Pirates, slightly confused now, just kept going. Through the cave, around four bends, one dip and one rise before a sliver of light could be seen penetrating the water's surface.

Scuffing his toe off the end of the barrel in boredom, Kidd waited the few moments it took for Killer to check if the coast was clear impatiently. Killer motioned for the crew to follow after sticking a hand back in the water, the chain attached to the barrel was handed to the first mate who was already on dry land and Kidd felt the barrel jerk and sway beneath him as Killer hauled him up to the surface.

Kidd stretched out his back muscles as he hopped out of the submersible, Taiga following him, and scanned the cavern they were now standing in. He saw stalactites, stalagmites, a bunch of rocks, but no fishmen. The only thing really worth note was the... red carpet running towards the back of the cavern that the crew could not yet see. They could, however, hear exactly what was happening.

The sounds of raucous laughter, clinking glasses, and falling coins echoed through the whole cavern.

"I thought you said this was going to be a _cave _Killer." Kidd growled, straining his eyes to see through the gloom of the cave. Only a few torches were lit where they were, and it was only just enough to see about a metre in front of your face. If the carpet hadn't been directly underneath one of these torches it would have been missed immediately.

"It is." Killer answered plainly, though obviously curious about the noise himself he wasn't going to admit he was wrong. Because he wasn't.

The four members of Kidd Pirates slipped through the darkness quietly, dodging behind over sized stalagmites as they went. Eventually, a thick door made completely from driftwood came into view. It was where the red carpet came to an end, but nobody stood outside it and the noises could be heard clearly from behind it.

Killer turned to face Kidd, waiting for the signal to move. Kidd placed his ear against the door, listening for whatever could be directly behind it, and raised his left hand into the air. Zombie and Mohawk both readied themselves, placing two palms flat against the surface and tensing rigidly.

Kidd let his hand drop, and the two crew members shoved the door open with what strength they had while the captain and first mate leaped through the door immediately on the offensive. Only to stop seconds later when they noticed nobody was paying any attention whatsoever to them and continued playing blackjack, the slots and billiards.

Kidd straightened back up, scowling heavily at anyone who so much as glanced at him. The entire room was full of fishmen. Some merfolk, but mostly fishmen of all shapes and sizes loitered around what appeared to be a makeshift casino drinking... what looked like wine but smelled like seaweed.

Despite the original seedy appearance other than the usual trademark swindling card dealers there didn't appear to be anything black market-worthy present.

"Killer..." Kidd trailed off, knowing that the masked man would pick up on what was unsaid.

"Up there." Killer motioned vaguely to where a balcony could be seen, and two roman-style couches littered around a large coffee table complete with a chess board filled it. Along with a few fishmen of course. Kidd followed Killer's, approximated, line of vision and met the eyes of a Gulper Eel fishman. The fishman's eyes lingered on the captain a mere moment, as if considering something, but turned back to face whoever was sitting on the opposite couch just out of Kidd's line of vision.

Kidd didn't know why, but he wasn't angered by the look the fishman gave him. Usually, if someone so much as glanced at him he would practically boil over with rage. Probably because it wasn't a look of dismissal that was given. It seemed as if he was... gauging him? Something similar.

"That him?" Kidd muttered, receiving a curt nod in return.

"Then this is going to be fun." Kidd leered sadistically, and cracked his knuckles slowly before bending his knees slightly. The three crew member followed suit and did the same, following their captain when he leaped into the air to land directly in front of Macro, summoning a knife from the bar up into his fist and holding it pressed against the fishman's neck.

Killer had done the same using his scythes on a pop-eyed goldfish fishman with, you guessed it, freakishly shaped eyes and mouth. Zombie was holding down a merman, while Mohawk held down a trigger-fish fishman.

Macro, surprisingly for someone generally known as weak and cowardly, stared right into Kidd's eyes unflinchingly. It was almost unnerving. Almost.

"I believe you took something that belongs to me." Kidd growled, noting now how the fishman's eyes widened slightly with fear. Despite the fact he obviously still had no idea who Kidd was he clearly stole enough from people for it to be a big deal.

"Mohahaha, you sure about that? You might be mistaking me for someone else, you humans often confuse one fishman for another." Macro tried to play it of coolly, but the trembling of his hands gave him away. Especially when Kidd pressed the blade harder against the flesh of the fishman's neck so a thin streak of blood ran across his jugular.

"Captain Macro of the Macro Fishman Pirates. Ex-member of the Sunny Pirates. Well-known in the slave-trade circles and for relying on intelligence before strength which is unusual, for a fishman." Killer quipped lazily, trailing the tip of his blade across his fishman's throat. Like Kidd's, a small incision enough to draw blood but not to cause damage.

"A-ah. Apparently it _is _me then. W-well, tell me their name and I'll locate them for you! F-free of c-charge of course." Macro tried to appease the growing-more-maniacal-by-the-second captain who was now watching the blood trickle from the fishman's cut with more interest than was healthy.

"I-I will, on my honour and mother's grave!" Macro squirmed trying to get further away from the blade.

"You sold your mother to the Human Auction five years ago." the merman Zombie was holding down grumbled, earning a jerk on his hair from the rithless crew member.

"Yeah, well you've never met her." Macro snapped back, remembering their screaming matches back when he was just a guppy. She was the reason he became involved in the slave trade in the first place.

"Shut up!" Kidd growled in warning, barely noticing as Taiga made himself known again by hopping elegantly onto the coffee table and proceeded to glare haughtily at everyone in the room.

"Damn right I haven't, kami knows it was bad enough meeting _you_!" the merman snarled back, watching triumphantly as a frustrated tick appeared in Macro's right temple.

"If you just didn't get in the _way _maybe something would be accomplished!" Macro hissed back, and nobody seemed to notice as something grabbed Taiga's attention and he jumped off the coffee table again.

"Shut your traps!" Kidd warned again, knowing they were doing anything but listening to him. So much for Macro actually being intelligent.

"Shrimp!"

"Guppy!"

"Flower horn!"

"Blobfish!"

"Taiga?"

Kidd spun around upon hearing the last one in the form of a happy squeal. Coming out of... what he hoped was the ladies room because it had a picture of a fish on it, was the purple-haired, amber-eyed, pain-in-the-ass fisherwoman that caused all this trouble cuddling her cat up in her arms and watching the scene before her with wide eyes. With no signs of chains or shackles anywhere.

"Ah, Mr. Kidd! What are you doing here?" she asked curiously, taking a few casual steps towards the table as if blades were not at fishmen's throats and the foulest names imagineable were not tossed every which way.

"You were supposed to be kidnapped!" Kidd snarled, dropping the hand holding the knife to his side and striding the rest of the way across to where Kishi stood bemusedly on the scarlet carpet, clearly confused as to what was going on.

Macro, however, had no such problems and copped on quickly.

"I _offered _a trip here to Kishi. I was passing by and in a hurry, couldn't waste any time so I just told her I'd leave a note. You _did _find my note, yes?" Macro rubbed his throat and turned towards Killer, who seemed to have the most common sense of the group.

"Yes. We got the kidnapping note." Killer quipped, and Macro frowned.

"Did I say we kidnapped her in the note?" he asked wonderingly, actually considering the fact that it might have slipped down accidentally.

"No. It was implied." Killer sheathed his scythes, watching as Macro's face scrunched in confusion.

"I remember what I wrote now, how could you have confused that with a kidnapping note? I even gave you friendly advice about those nasty molluscs I spotted on your hull!" Macro threw his arms into the air incredulously, and Killer immediately knew what he was dealing with. Although kidnapping _had _been heavily implied, this was a man who spent half his life writing authentic kidnapping notes. He is obviously influenced by that in his ordinary day-to-day writing too.

Killer, not even responding to the 'unjustly treated' fishman, turned to listen to Kidd and Kishi's conversation. Which was basically Kishi saying how long it'd been since she had a good chess game with Macro, motioning towards the pieces on the coffee table Taiga had knocked over, and how she couldn't have passed up the opportunity.

"That man sells _people_. How could someone like you be around him so long?" Kidd queried, crossing his arms stiffly over his chest.

"...You've never met his mother, have you?" Kishi said after a short pause, as if expecting that one question to be the answer to everything. Killer felt now would be a good time to interject, as Kidd began clenching and unclenching his fists and teeth.

"Let's just leave." Killer sighed, placing a calming hand on Kidd's shoulder and an insistent one on Kishi's lower back, urging them away quietly to no avail.

"See you soon, Macro. Please try not to catch Keimi. She's a nice girl, a bit dim but nice. And tell Tansui I said bye." Kishi advised sagely to Macro who waved her off without listening to a word she said.

"See you, Kishi." the only merman of the group grumbled bitterly, his face in his hands so his features were hidden.

"Bye Vito." Kishi nodded amicably in his direction before finally allowing the first mate to push her out of the casino easily.

Giggling slightly at the sight of the cumbersome submersible, Kishi dropped Taiga inside and slipped into the water herself without so much as a complaint when Kidd hopped inside with the cat. Despite the fact it was her submersible from the _Pinta_.

"By the way, Mr. Kidd?" Kishi questioned, just before the captain was about to snap the hatch shut.

"Yeah?" he grunted, fingers ready to pull down the second she said something he didn't like.

"Why did you bother try find me anyway?" Kishi asked, genuinely curious, despite the fact she knew it would be something like pride. But pride alone couldn't be the only factor.

Kishi watched as Kidd's face turned red, though more from anger than embarrassment, and the hatch slammed shut leaving only the resounding echo bouncing around the walls of the room and the distinct sound of Kidd's infuriated voice, although somewhat muffled, roaring profanities at the cat from inside the relatively soundproof submersible.

Insatiably curious, but wanting to keep her tongue and other body parts intact, Kishi kept quiet for the duration of the trip. And as she surfaced, and glanced up at the almost idiotically gothic pirate ship bobbing on the waves above her, a small smile broke out across her face. This crew were definitely interesting, if nothing else.

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Seregunda: Sorry for the seriously late update, I just got back to school and had to get my brain revived. It was rusty and sore from disuse, so I had no energy for writing. Oh well, I hope you liked the newest chapter! And seriously, you guys should all get seriously offended if someone calls you a blobfish. Look it up under 'world's ugliest fish'. With the way that thing looks, I think blobfish should be the new number one insult! Hate it? Like it? Say it! Please R&R, I loooovvvveee yyyooouuuu!


	10. Dead End

Seregunda: Thanks so much to those who reviewed the last chapter: Psychotic Tendency, Moonlight Calls, Aoihand, Mistyfalls and 'santa clause is a stalker' (sorry but for some reason fanfic decided I'm not allowed write out the correct way you spell it) I love you guys!:)

And yes, despite the fact I was laughing at the poor blobfish in my last chapter, I do feel really bad for them! At least tigers and pandas have their good looks to help people _want _to stave off their extinction, what does the blobfish have? Nothing!T-T

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Kishi looked from Kidd's rage-instilled face, to Killer's impassive mask, to the merman's almost inhuman beauty and repeated the process all over again.

"-ndI'm glad I finally found you. You're heading to Sabaody, right?" Vito broke off in his babbling for a second, to beg the captain quite obviously with his eyes.

Kishi watched the exchange, the corner of her mouth twitching dangerously, as the scene played out before her.

It had been a week since the Kidd Pirates had left Papanapple Island, and since then had seen neither hide nor tail of the Macro Fishmen Pirates. To Kidd's obvious enjoyment and Kishi's slight disappointment. Until today anyway. Vito had appeared that morning, nobody quite knew how he got on board, with armfuls of beri he'd taken from Macro and begging Kidd to let him pay a rent for staying on his ship.

"Get off my ship." Kidd said blankly, not really wanting to deal with, what seemed to be, another airhead. Vito's ocean-blue eyes widened hysterically as he began to explain, in excruciating detail, exactly why Kidd couldn't do that to him. Kidd, zoned out completely and just took in the merman's appearance.

Obviously, the navy-blue fish tail was the first thing to be noticed. Like most mermen, his torso was bare and chiseled. The skin he did have had a perfect tan, not as deep as Kishi's but close enough. High cheekbones, pouted lips and forest green hair completed the, incredibly annoying in Kidd's opinion, effect.

"Kidd, he's just trying to find his sister, give him a break?" Kishi probed gently, more a suggestion than a question or order, knowing either of the two would set the temperamental captain off.

"I thought Macro kicked you out." Kidd stated, clearly letting the merman know he hadn't listened to a word he said. The look on the irritatingly beautiful merman's face was worth it.

"No... _captain_. The only reason I was even there was because Macro caught my sister Keimi... again. And last night she escaped, some fishman helped her I think, and I know for a fact that Pappug was planning on taking her to Sabaody, so it's the next best place to find her." Vito admitted grudgingly.

"Why should I help _you_?" Kidd sneered, and Vito immediately got the feeling that saying 'out of the goodness in your heart' would be a bad idea. And that this captain, for whatever reason, had taken an instant dislike to him.

"Money?" Vito tried again, motioning to the pile of beri he had in his arms. Killer had been sizing up the amount that Vito had... obtained since his presence was first noted on the ship. And, to tell the truth, the Kidd Pirates needed the money.

Their reputation was phenomonal for beginners, by pirate standards not civillians, but that reputation dearly hurt the crew's back pocket. Repairing the many times the ship had been trashed during battle, not to mention the medical supplies they constantly needed. More due to food poisoning than actual battle damage though. Point is, if Kidd thought he was going to let that amount of money just walk... swim away he had another thing coming.

"Kidd, let him on." Killer grunted bobbing his head towards the captain, who immediately fixed an angry glare on his first mate. The only person on the whole ship that was, for the most part, unswayed by those looks.

Kidd froze slightly, when there was no sound coming from behind Killer's mask. The Massacre Man just turned his head slowly to, presumeably, fix his gaze on the captain. Not that Kidd could tell with the blank, getting-more-unnerving-by-the-minute mask on his head.

"It's probably a trap. We've got bounties y'know." Kidd tried to worm his way out of it, rather than shout. Shouting never won with Killer, he was too smart.

"Set by Macro? He's too much of a coward." Killer scoffed, crossing his arms decisively.

"He stinks worse than a normal fish." Kidd jerked his thumb accusingly at the merman, who tried his best not to look offended. Killer, who'd been standing on deck for quite some time now, had yet to smell something remotely out of the ordinary. But just in case...

"So does she." Killer nodded towards Kishi now, who genuinely wasn't insulted. It was a fact, she'd be the worst fisherwoman in the world if she didn't reek of the stuff. She'd gutted over thirty-two fish that morning, and was proud of it.

"We don't have a choice with her." Kidd grunted stubbornly, challenging the Massacre Man. Who always got what he wanted.

"And now you don't have a choice with him. Hand the money over." Killer took the proffered beri, and tucked it securely under his arm. Kidd watched, opening and closing his mouth like a demented fish every once in a while in shock, before turning on his heel and stomping away, hesitating only to call over his shoulder.

"It's not my problem where he sleeps, but we're out of hammocks in the men's quarters." Kidd scowled, being more than clear he wanted the merman nowhere near him.

"Not a problem, there's room for one more in my place." Kishi offered, her mouth hinged open halfway, trying not to yawn.

Blinking blearily, she opened her eyes to see Vito's navy-blue eyes only inches from her own, gazing adoringly at her.

"Really? Thank you, Kishi, you have no idea how much this means to me! If I couldn't find Keimi I, I..." clearly the merman hadn't thought that far ahead and settled for sniffling pathetically and wrapping grateful arms around Kishi's torso.

"How are you moving about, by the way? Before you put you belongings in the women's quarters." Killer drawled, clearly showing both his distaste for the merman's sleeping arrangements and his curiosity in one go.

"Hm, practice. I can't get very far though, and because of my tail fin I can only really shuffle around." Vito explained, flourishing his arms extravagantly as he spoke. Killer cringed, inwardly of course, at the merman's behaviour. It was all just a bit... much.

"What species of fish are you halved with?" Killer asked, wondering just what could cause a man to act like such a, well such a prima donna.

"A flame angelfish, why?" Vito grinned, and Killer immediately felt he had to look away. So much brightness and cheer wasn't the general norm on the Kidd Pirates' ship. But, remembering the scarlet body and navy tail of that fish, it was no wonder the man turned out the way he did. Silently, and without responding to the... sparkly male Killer turned slowly and left Kishi standing bewildered with an overly-enthusiastic merman.

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The next few days went at an agonisingly slow pace for one Eustass 'Captain' Kidd.

There was nothing to _do _when you were out at sea with no marines to attack, or islands to dock. It didn't help that Kishi, his one outlet of frustration despite the fact she caused most of it, spent half of her time off the ship fishing and the other half with that... _thing _that had (annoyingly) taken up residence in their ship.

Kidd slugged down another cask of premium rum and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand as he watched the crew babble incessantly throughout dinner. He didn't participate in general conversation, only when he actually had something to say did he speak. Kidd never spoke about nothing.

"-ut look Vito, I don't care what you're saying about this keratin stuff. My hair's fine as it is." Kishi grunted, playing with a strand thoughtfully as if actually giving the matter some thought.

"Listen, your hair's fine I'll give you that. But, girl, just _look _at the state of your nails! What do you _do _with those hands?" Vito scoffed, shoving his perfectly manicured fingernails in Kishi's face with a smug expression.

"I gut fish." Kishi responded, without any regard for the delicacy of the subject. The merman sidled away from her quickly, making sure that her hands were by her sides every once in a while and not edging towards his tail.

"Kishi." Jun warned, a single word but the fisherwoman clammed up and all three began chatting animatedly. Kishi, Jun and Vito had recently taken the opportunity to eat each and every meal together. The atmosphere around the three was a dramatic change to that of the rest of the crew. Kidd didn't like it. They were too soft, too un-pirate-like to be associated with the future king of pirates.

The merman might as well dress in drag for all Kidd cared, there was no way that, that _puff _was man enough to be in Kidd's presence.

The girl, Kishi, was completely... boring. Every time Kidd thought he'd gotten her angry, surprised, _scared _she'd get a hold of herself in seconds and the usual bland attitude towards everything was back in place. Not the most exciting person to pick a fight with, but Kidd found himself trying more and more often to get a rise out of her lately.

And Jun was, well, Jun and he didn't need an explanation in Kidd's book. But the other two had no excuse and annoyed the hell out of him.

"-idd-sama! Kidd-sama!" and just as soon as the captain had smothered himself with dark thoughts of how he'd tie an anvil to Kishi's foot and drop her in the ocean, Zombie's voice broke through the usual rabble of the cafeteria.

Kidd glanced up from his second mug of alcohol to settle his gaze on the wheezing Zombie, who had been on lookout during dinner. Jun always held a meal for the lookout, it was the kind of person he was.

"What?" Kidd asked, placing his mug down on the place mat with a dull clunk.

"There's, there's something I really think you should see!" he gasped, the stitches around his mouth contorting his face as he gasped for breath.

Kidd stomped up onto the upper deck, and most of the crew scrambled up behind him leaving only Jun, Vito and Kishi down in the mess hall not really sure if this was their problem or not. After a round of shouting started up, Kishi stood in her place and headed towards up to where the rest of the crew were watching what appeared to be a race flash by.

As what looked like a ship with a ram as their figurehead flew over the mast of the Kidd Pirates' ship, followed by several other ships, the entire crew broke into a bout of frantic muttering.

Kidd himself looked disconcerted, and almost green when a large ship belonging to what looked like a fishman crew flew overhead.

"What the fuck's going on?" Kidd screeched at Killer, who, for once, seemed to be at a loss for an answer as three more ships flew overhead.

"Ah, I thought we were in this area." Kishi observed mildly, trying to recognise some of the jolly rogers flying past. She was fairly sure the enormous ship that nearly hit their mast was a Captain Gasparde's...

"What kind of area of the Grand Line do ships decide to up and _fly_?" Kidd screamed, getting more and more annoyed at the fact that none of this seemed to be phasing the fisherwoman in front of him.

"We're near Partia of course. You know, it's the finish line for the Dead End race this year? Pity we didn't get to the entrance on time, it's always an interesting one to enter." Kishi noted, watching as a couple of giant's ships landed on the water only a hundred yards from their ship and snapped in half under their weight.

"Oh, that. That's fine then." Killer calmed down immediately, which only served to make Kidd feel not only less intelligent but less on top of the situation. And he'd have none of that happening while he was the captain of this ship.

"What the fuck is this 'Dead End' thing?" Kidd snarled, a little calmer now that the last boat had crossed over and they were in no danger of getting crushed. Killer felt answering himself would be smarter, seeing as whenever Kishi seemed to know something Kidd didn't the flame haired captain would get more frustrated and nothing would be accomplished.

"A pirate race. The only rule is everyone starts from the same secret starting point and the first to the finish line wins. Force, tricks and anything in between are allowed." Killer explained dutifully, watching as Kidd's expression smoothed into one of understanding.

"Yeah, Gol D Roger won the very first one. Fisher Tiger won before, so did Shanks and Whitebeard. Anybody who's anybody today won it at least once." Kishi continued on, leaving Killer mildly impressed by the extent of her knowledge.

"Let's enter the next one." Kidd grumbled, waving a hand over his shoulder as if to say he was finished.

"Unless you're planning on staying here for a year, we'd be better off just staying for the night and leaving in the morning. It only takes a day for the log to set here anyway." Kishi called, and was surprised when Kidd only waved a hand over his shoulder again. No complaining, no screaming matches and no tantrums. What on earth had gotten into him? And how could she get it to stay...

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It had taken Kidd two and a half hours to find an inn with enough room to house the crew. Every good inn had been snapped up by the competitors after the race had finished so the Kidd Pirates wound up staying in a small, dinghy, overpriced tavern that apparently had enough rooms above to accomodate the crew.

"Ishida's doing fine, I stopped at his island not too long ago." and there was that too. Apparently the tavern owner was yet another friend of Kishi's, who seemed to know the vast majority of the older generation that lived on the Grand Line.

"That's good, wouldn't want my old rival to kick the bucket anytime soon!" the old woman burst into a raucous cacophony of laughter. Leaving Kishi to watch her antics over the edge of her tequila glass in amusement.

The od woman in front of her had, like a lot of Kishi's friends, once been quite the bounty-head. With a (now expired) bounty of one million ten thousand beri the old crone still packed quite a punch. It was a well-known fact that Ishida had tried and failed to capture this 'Vengeous' Varda many a time. She had been the captain of the crew too.

"And we're much obliged that you kicked that other crew out for us, you didn't have to do that." Jun slipped in on the conversation, not looking all that sorry for the crew that had slunk away with their tails between their legs.

"I couldn't leave little Kishi sleeping out on a ship while I'm in town! I've known her since the day she was born, it's an honour to house her crew." Varda nodded graciously, none-too-subtly counting the wad of cash they had supplied her with. Nice to know old bonds only go so deep.

The night wore on and the Kidd Pirates finally felt the need for sleep catch up to them. As mentioned above, the tavern was small. Meaning certain 'seperation' rules had to be ignored. Being that the crew was split into four different rooms, with about five in each room. Kishi among them, Varda didn't love anyone that much.

Kidd rolled over on his side, completely unable to sleep. Despite how childish it sounded, the main reason for his temporary insomnia was he kept imagining a ship flying through the air and crushing him while he was sleeping. Not like he could call out 'repel' in his sleep is it?

Killer shifted quietly to his right, his breathing already deep from behind his mask. Usually the Massacre Man slept without the offending mask, but in a room with four other people he clearly felt otherwise.

Jun's snores were rumbling softly around the room, but that wasn't the reason Kidd couldn't sleep. The man's snores weren't that loud, it was closer to gravelly breathing than anything else.

Vito shifted constantly while asleep, causing the sheets to rustle and the springs to creak. But again, not the reason for his current insomnia.

No, the reason for that was sleeping soundly in the bed across from his own. Even the bundle of orange fur at the end of the bed was silent. Not a noise escaped her mouth, and she lay so still she could be a corpse. But she had turned to face him while sleeping so, for some reason, he found the sleeping face aimed towards him highly disconcerting.

Kishi caused him grief even in her sleep.

Giving up, Kidd stood and stretched out his back, sending a glare towards the lucky people of the room that could actually sleep. At each of the four walls there was a single bed, except under the window where Kidd had staked a claim on his bed was another only about a metre away. That's where Kishi was sleeping.

It was, obviously, dark outside and Kidd had no indication as to what time it was. No moon either, the sky was completely overcast, and any constellations that may have been seen were blocked by clouds.

Taking his eyes from the, uninteresting, night sky Kidd turned to stare at the fisherwoman only a few feet from where he was standing. Somehow, in her sleep, it looked as if she might care a little more about her surroundings than she did when she was awake.

Her hair, splayed out on the pillow behind her, looked shades darker than it did in the day. As did her weather-beaten skin. She had showered so the smell of fish didn't hang around the room like it would have if they were on the ship. Every contour of her body could be seen under the thin blanket, but she didn't look as if she were cold.

She made Kidd... curious. He'd never had much interest in the female species, still didn't. He found them offensive, weak and stupid. And most importantly annoying. The 'weak' category was the only one Kishi continuously fell into.

Sometimes annoying too.

But, she was generally quiet which was different from any girl _he'd _known growing up. Well a different kind of quiet to the _quiet _ones. Not shy, emo or angry quiet. Just is.

Killer had mentioned something once, about studying the way she lived. As if she were an animal. Maybe she was, she definitely isn't like any _person _Kidd's ever met.

Kidd took a few steps towards Kishi's bed, scowling fiercly as he scanned her face for a sign of... something. Obviously, as not many expressions cross the face of a sleeping person, he was left disappointed.

Glancing down to make sure the cat was definitely fast asleep, he was, Kidd reached out a hand and touched Kishi's hair curiously. He rolled it between his thumb and forefinger like a child would, and moved his hand down to touch her face inquisitively. It wasn't as soft as he'd imagined a girl's face would be, but Kishi barely counted as a girl and spent all her time fishing anyway so maybe she didn't count.

He touched her hands, arms, neck before straightening up with a scowl back in place, and his curiosity sated. He had expected something... different. He didn't know why but Kidd had expected the fisherwoman on the bed to have... retained feminine traits that shouldn't be physically possible for her lifestyle. Unless the soft well-taken care of hair counted there was nothing. Her biceps were hard from the constant pulling and hauling she did, her hands calloused, nails chipped and skin... not rough. Softer than a man's, worse than the average woman. Her skin was very clear though.

Women were something Kidd never bothered with, they annoyed him and were too different to fit in to his chosen lifestyle. And the brothel girls were repulsive. The King of Pirates should never settle for less than first class. This girl didn't fall into either category, being closer to a man in personality than a woman.

Kidd touched her calloused hands once more for confirmation and started when Kishi swatted his hand away with an unintelligible grunt and began stirring.

Not quite knowing why, Kidd panicked and flew back into his bed. He figured, once he was under the blankets, the last thing he wanted was the fisherwoman to accuse him of attempted murder. Saying the reason he was hanging over her bed like a vampire was because he wanted to see what a girl was like better probably wouldn't get him to sleep any faster.

Kidd felt his breathing even out and his eyes lower just as the sound of distinct muttering and shifting blankets came from the bed across from his own. Before his mind could focus on whoever had woken up, he had sunk into the oblivion of dreamless sleep.

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Seregunda: alright, I've decided I'm going to try and upload every Friday from now on. I hope I can stick to it, but even more so I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! R&R please, I love all you amazing people that have read this far in my story, you're all great. Cookies for all!^^ Ah, and the Dead End race etc. was basically the whole fourth one piece movie, so no credit to me for that.


	11. Luffy's lost

Seregunda: Thanks so much to those who reviewed the last chapter: Psychotic Tendency, Moonlight Calls, Triva, Batty, 'santa clause is a stalker', xenocanaan and Blue Wolf Miko. I love you guys!:)

Special thanks to Blue Wolf Miko who pointed out the whole Partia thing in the last chappie, it's all fixed now!^^

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Taiga was in an especially smug mood today, and it was visible to each of the five occupants of the room.

His usually crooked tail looked almost straight, his whiskers were perked up, his fur glossier. Not much could be done about the missing eye but somehow the effect remained that this was a very very happy cat. Most likely for three of the (known) incidents that had occurred while the tavern room's occupants had slept.

1) He had urinated on Kidd's bed.

2) Scratched Killer's favourite navy polka-dot shirt to ribbons.

3) Discovered that, no, Vito did not taste as good as a real fish. And now his tail fin had two distinct puncture holes.

So now the only two people in the room who looked entirely stress-free and relaxed were Kishi (never bite the hand that feeds you) and Jun (same rule applies).

"It's not a pet, it's a demon! Why in all the oceans would he take a bite out of my precious, beautiful tail? If this takes away my chances of winning the sexiest merman prize for the third year running, I don't know what I'll do!" Vito wailed, rolling around the bed in (most likely fake) agony.

Unsurprisingly, this pain and conflict calmed Kidd down enough to not go out of his way to kill anything. Not like he had to clean the sheets, and he already had a shower so the smell was gone. Now the only thing to do was enjoy the flashy merman's sweet misery.

"Don't worry, you're still the hottest guy I know. Girls don't look at tail fins anyway, do you look at people's feet?" Kishi soothed him almost-successfully, lifting up the tail fin gently to observe the two pinpricks where Taiga's teeth had gone though the navy scales. Although, Vito still looked unconvinced.

"You can stop your worrying anyway, looks like it won't even leave a mark. Let me disinfect it there and... there we go. It'll be gone in a few days." Kishi replied confidently, and stood up to admire her not-too-intricate handiwork. All it had needed was a spray of disinfectant and a bit of gauze, Vito always had been a bit of a drama queen.

Kidd bristled in annoyance, at pretty much everything Kishi had just said. Firsy off, the merman was now happy. Squealing like a schoolgirl with Kidd nearby never was a good mix. Especially if you were a man, Kidd was one of those types that believed one had to be 'a man among men' to survive. And acting like a teenage girl did _not _meet this quota. And second... he believed Kishi might need glasses. That... thing making those almost-too-highly-pitched-to-hear-them sounds could not qualify as good-looking.

Girls were clearly more different than he thought.

Kidd noticed Kishi look sympathetically to her right before standing up and leaving the room quickly. Kidd glanced in that direction and noticed Killer sitting glumly on the bed looking at his shirt. He hadn't complained, or gotten angry, but clearly Kishi had gotten the picture to leave before either happened.

"You have others." Kidd snorted, thinking back to the rows and rows of different coloured polka-dot shirts he knew Killer had stashed away on the ship. Silence ansered his jibe, and Kidd wondered for two seconds if this was the reaction he himself would have if his coat was destroyed. Probably not, the cat would be dead by now if he had anything to do with it.

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"It was soooo cooool! It took us ages to get away! Sanji said if we didn't get back soon I wouldn't have meat though, so I beat them up before sailing back to... this place! Yosh, where's the meat?" Kishi swore if her eyebrows could go any higher they'd be hidden in her hair.

In front of her was, in her opinion, the most adorably irritating boy she'd ever had the (mis)fortune to meet. With a straw hat and a smile that took up half of his face, Monkey D. Luffy certainly didn't disappoint the trend of all strong captains having a... different quirk.

"That's nice, kiddo. But if you want meat why are you in the shopping district?" Kishi questioned, picking up a red polka dot shirt and examining it before putting it back on the rack. Killer wouldn't cut such an imposing figure going around dressed like some children's cartoon character.

At Kishi's words, Luffy's eyes went wide as he scanned the entire area thoroughly before nodding sagely with his hand on his chin.

"Yosh. This _IS _the shopping place. I'm lost." he stated easily, as if he hadn't a care in the world. Which, Kishi reminded herself, he probably didn't.

"If you stick with me, I'll show you the way back to the docks when I'm done kid." Kishi rubbed his head the way she usually would Taiga's, completely ignoring the boy's protesting about him 'not being a kid' and 'I'm a pirate captain'.

Time passed and Kishi found herself almost enjoying the mindless jabbering of the Strawhat captain. He was surprisingly easy to get along with, and seemed low-maintenance other than his constant complaints for food.

And, thus far, Kishi had passed through so many polka-dot shirts she could fill ten of Killer's wardrobes with them. Until, eventually, she found one that only Killer could pull off. A high-collared black polka-dotted shirt with a semi-open chest.

"That looks like one of Nami's shirts." Luffy quipped, eyes widening in awe for some reason. Kishi didn't know this Nami personally, but felt that Luffy's observation of an _open-chest _shirt looking like one of this girl's said a lot... Then again Luffy's observational skills didn't come off as very... accurate.

Kishi paid for the shirt readily and led the hyperactive-captain back to the docks. Once there, Kishi scanned the restaurants around, from expensive to cheap, and glanced back at the captain who was practically bouncing on the spot, asking questions to people there was no way he could know.

"There's a 'D' in your name, right?" Kishi asked curiously, wavering outside a semi-decent restaraunt hesitantly.

"Yosh!" Luffy responded happily, punching a fist into the air with fire burning in his eyes. He probably expected some big revelation or something.

Kishi grunted in response, took five steps to the left, and stopped outside the cheapest place you could get food in all of Partia. One of those all-you-can-eat buffet type places. Just so she wouldn't regret the inevitable hole in her wallet that would come had she decided on any other place.

And when Kishi was right, she was right. Even though it didn't take a genius to figure it out, she'd met enough D's to know they were all big-eaters by now. But that kid Luffy took the cake. And the meat, fish, vegetables, fruit and part of the table too.

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_"Tell everybody I'm on my way_  
_New friends and new places to see_  
_With blue skies ahead, yes_  
_I'm on my way_  
_And there's nowhere else_  
_that I'd rather be..."_

Kishi sang jubilantly, untangling her fishing nets with vigor that the task usually lacked. One of the effects of hanging around Luffy for too long, appeared to either be a heightened happiness or extreme delusions. Or both, not that Kishi was complaining. If Luffyism was a religion, she'd join it. Seriously, everyone loves the boy and 'bad guys' switch sides after an impassioned speech. Luffy should be a religion.

_"Tell everybody I'm on my way_  
_And I'm loving every step I take_  
_With the sun beating down, yes_  
_I'm on my way_  
_And I can't keep this smile off my face..."_

Kishi lifted the net up to the sun and scanned the tangle-free twine happily, before getting to work on the harpoon. Seriously, it wasn't natural for her good mood to last so long while doing such a tedious chore.

The Kidd Pirates were still in Partia somewhere. Kishi had returned to Varda's tavern to find all the rooms emptied and not a crew mate in sight. Not seeing how it was any of her business, Kishi just picked up Taiga from behind the counter who had been licking up a tin of cream and left for the ship. Which was where she was now, alone, but singing like an idiot and too happy to care that the crew seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

_"Not the snow, not the rain_  
_Can change my mind_  
_The sun will come out, wait and see_  
_And the feeling of the wind in your face_  
_Can lift your heart_  
_Oh there's nowhere I would rather be-"_

Kishi broke off, blinking owlishly at the crew traipsing onto the deck around her their feet dragging, groaning in pain and covered in blood. Most of it not their own, but that didn't mean there were uninjured.

Kishi abandoned her singing out loud, but hummed the same tune tirelessly. Outwardly it was as if she didn't notice they were back, or as if her harpoon was so interesting turning to ask them what had happened would be a waste of time. Neither were _completely _true.

Kishi glanced up once the crew finished filing onto the main deck, and was about to avert her eyes again but something caught her attention. Every crew member was standing in a circle around Kidd and Killer, both of whom looked as if they had grown a full foot taller.

Blood dripped from both of Killer's scythes, making an almost-black puddle on the floor of the deck. Kidd's black lipstick must have come off in the fight, because his lips were, while still dark, a normal human-ish pallor. He was talking to the crew, Kishi watched his lips move, but swore she didn't hear a single word that came out of them. Because, while she stared, a dull energy she recognised as something only the strongest of pirates had thrummed through the air, filling her senses and not letting anything else in.

Those two, Killer and Kidd, they were going to rattle these oceans. And when they were finished with those, they'd go rattle the heavens instead.

Kishi looked around, and knew immediately as the crew burst into a loud cheer at what Kidd had announced, that nobody else had noticed that flash of power from those two. Or, Kishi reasoned, maybe they just knew it had been there all along.

"So, what about now? Pirate King material yet?" Kidd sneered, a good deal closer than he had been since Kishi had zoned out.

"What? Oh... maybe so, maybe so." Kishi replied, after thinking for a few minutes. She took in Kidd's complete appearance, blood and sweat-drenched. Clothes ripped asunder. Face still red from exertion. Hair sticking out at even weirder angles than before, and of course the trademark Kidd-sneer in place. Everything was normal... but something was different, Kishi decided, looking the captain up and down completely aware this put him on edge.

Kidd bristled as usual at the 'maybe', not at all impressed with her answer after all the effort he'd gone through. Kishi really had to get the full story from Jun later, to see if the hot headed captain had an actual reason for being cockier than usual.

"You weren't here the entire time, were you?" Killer asked, his tone flat as he looked around the deck for signs of a fight that never took place.

"No. I went shopping and for a bite to eat with a friend." Kishi replied easily, knowing that mentioning another captain's name while Kidd was still drunk on bloodlust would be a bad idea. A pin could have dropped, and Kishi would have been able to hear it.

"So you missed absolutely _everything_that happened?" a familiar voice wailed, and Vito pushed his way through the crew to land beside Kishi on the floor with a dull thunk. His perfect face was tear-stained and a wicked, jagged cut ran from the merman's collarbone down his left arm and came to a stop just above his wrist. It oozed blood steadily, but it didn't look as if it was going to threaten his life.

He threw his arms around the fisherwoman who patted his back soothingly, but in a bemused manner. She glanced up at Zombie, who was too busy sending disgusted looks at the rather feminine merman to respond to her imploring eyes. A lot of the crew chose this moment to leave to ten their injuries, only a few remained.

Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long for an explanation.

"The Dead End race was a sham, we heard about it. Marines were waiting at the finish line for the pirates involved, and gave chase to the 'winners'. The Strawhats. They fled the island, so we thought we were safe since the marines followed. Turns out their supplies weren't high enough to make a journey anywhere so they crept back to Partia past the marines. Who ran here quickly when they found out, and found us instead." Killer explained, and Kishi had to wonder yet again how the man managed to glean so much information in such a short time.

Although Luffy had said something roughly similar, but it'd been too hard to decipher at the time.

"No, I didn't know anything about it. Not that I would've been able to help much." Kishi admitted, now rubbing soothing circles into the muscle of Vito's back. Who had just realised the superficial extent of his wound and started another bout of loud wailing about how there was no way he'd win any contest now and how would Keimi ever face him like that.

"You're lucky. Those marines were brutal after being led in circles by the Strawhats. And there was a general on board with them." Jun piqued, his enormous stomach wobbling as he sat on an upturned barrel. He seemed to be unharmed, but there were bloodstains on his apron.

"Very lucky." Kishi's mouth set in a grim line, and her hand stopped it's soothing movements on Vito's back who cracked open an eye to observe the fisherwoman's reaction, looking uncharacteristically detached from the situation.

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Kishi had grinned to herself inwardly, when she noticed Killer come out of the men's quarters the following morning wearing the black polka-dot shirt she had bought him. He hadn't said anything when she had pressed the shopping bag into his arms and mumbled an apology for her cat's behaviour, but that was his way so she'd taken no offence. The fact that he was wearing it now meant she'd been forgiven, and he actually liked the gift.

The effect wore off, however, when he came out the following morning wearing it again. And it got a little weird when, as they docked at an island for only three hours waiting for the log pose to set, he bought six more of the exact same shirt in one of the clothing lines.

But, Kishi had to admit, it was hard to find a man that could rock polka-dots and make them look good. Killer was one of those few, and now she just couldn't imagine the man without them.

She hadn't really interacted with Kidd since though. Kishi wasn't sure she knew how to anymore. Since leaving Partia, Kidd's face looked more angled. His aura screamed of disaster, and the glare on his face was constant. It wasn't those things that stopped her though, Kishi got along with a lot of people like that.

It was just, Kishi hadn't really noticed just how _big _the man was before. It sounds stupid but, when she looked at him before she saw his average-enough height made taller by his gravity-defying hair. But now...

Kishi didn't know why he just seemed bigger somehow. More dangerous? Maybe it was kind of like a mountain lion or something. That animal was the size of roughly a young german shepherd, but when people saw one they compared it to a tiger.

If they think they're big, others think they're big. Mind games.

Still didn't stop the fact that Kishi made every possible effort not to look directly into his eyes for too long, he hadn't seemed to notice yet though, he's been too busy running the ship. But, as if he were a vulture, Kishi couldn't quite help looking over her shoulder every once in a while to make sure he just kept circling high above, not spiralling down towards her as a sign of impending doom.

She was exaggerating it a bit, of course, but it still didn't stop one thing running through Kishi's mind. One little fact that had never occured to her before, and something she'd never personally experienced:

She was afraid of this man, who'd thus far done her no harm. What exactly would be her reaction, if he were ever to turn that temper on her alone?

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Seregunda: Hope everyone enjoyed the update!^^ the song used in here is On My Way by Phil Collins. Which I now personally consider Luffy's theme song. R&R please people, reviews attract plot bunnies!


	12. Candlelit

Seregunda: Sorry for such a late update, I had a tournament that lasted the whole weekend! And I don't have time to write during the weekdays... anywho, thanks so much to those who reviewed the last chapter: Psychotic Tendency, Moonlight Calls, 'santa clause is a stalker', xenocanaan, triva and Msaju17. I love you guys!:)

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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It was as close to a normal day on board the Kidd Pirates' ship as you could get.

Taiga was sleeping in a coil of rope in the crow's nest next to Zombie who was on lookout. Jun was read in a new cookbook in hopes of improving his meagre skills. Killer was reading what looked like logbooks previous captains kept of their journeys around the Grand Line. Kidd was strutting about on deck with his furry jacket fanning behind him regally. Mohawk was playing cards against Batchan. Vito was primping in front of a handheld mirror.

And Kishi was nowhere to be seen. Hadn't been seen since before breakfast.

Not the 'she's left early for fishing _again_?' nowhere to be seen but the 'why the hell isn't she leaving her room?' nowhere to be seen.

Killer kept glancing up from his logbooks, in what the crew felt were disapproving frowns, before looking back down to them again. Killer had frequently enjoyed the fisherwoman's company as of late, and it was odd to see the usually incredibly-early riser bedridden.

Their doctor, Tohru, said that the fisherwoman hadn't been to see him so he had checked her vitals. Nothing was wrong with her. Normal heart rate, temperature and no signs of stress or anything else.

Snapping the logbook closed, Killer finally decided he wasn't getting anything done thinking about it. He'd go down to her room, make up some stupid excuse, and come back up.

"Would someone ever put a lock on the door? The cat gets more food than I do!" Ah. An excuse ready made, courtesy of Matsu the navigator.

Killer slipped below deck, making sure nobody saw him. They didn't anyway, they were too busy listening to Kidd tell them _exactly_ why he is the best pirate in the ocean and why he's going to be pirate king.

Killer hesitated, coming to a stop outside the women's quarters. He frowned beneath the mask, there were no sounds of whimpering in pain or crying as he had, perhaps stereotypically, expected. Not all girls were overemotional wreck-heads he supposed, but staying in your room all day to sing songs was a bit much.

Killer strained his ears, noting that either Kishi's dictation was so poor it sounded like she was singing gibberish, or she was singing in some other language. Not really caring anymore, Killer opened the door nonchalantly, and was yet again mildly surprised at what he saw.

Kishiwas sitting in the middle of the darkened room, all furniture pushed to the sideand the only light came from the scores of candles littered about the floor in varying heights and colours. Her eyes were closed and she was lighting a taller candle with a glowing taper.

_"Vois sur ton chemin_  
_Gamins oubliés égarés_  
_Donne leur la main_  
_Pour les mener_  
_Vers d'autres lendemains_  
_Donne leur la main_  
_Pour les mener_  
_Vers d'autres lendemains-"_

Killer had never heard the usually-cheerful girl sing like this before. Usually there was laughter, energy and joy. This song, while not downright depressing, seemed... reverent or something. Didn't seem right coming from Kishi's mouth, especially in this sort of atmosphere.

_"Sens au coeur de la nuit_  
_L'onde d'espoir_  
_Ardeur de la vie_  
_Sentier de gloire_  
_Ardeur de la vie, de la vie_  
_Sentier de gloire, sentir de gloire"_

Another candle was lit as the song continued. Killer wondered if this was Kishi's mother language. The words flowed off her tongue as if they had been bred there.

It took a few seconds for Killer to realise the singing had stopped and the fisherwomanhad turned, asked him a question, and was now staring expectantly at him. With wide, curious eyes that were difficult to just flip off instead of pretending to know what she had asked.

"You haven't been up deck all day." Killer stated, knowing Kishi never cared if he truly answered her questions or not. Well she never got offended by it anyway.

"Nope, I only do this twice a year, so could you ask Jun to hold dinner for me? It won't go on too late." Kishianswered readily, with a half-smile lighting her features. A wind blew from the door Killer had opened, the candles flickered and threw an almost menacing shadow over the scene as Kishi returned to the small stack of parchment piled in front of her.

Reluctant to leave once his curiosity was roused, Killer stood motionless until Kishi's spine turned rigid and she turned back to face the Massacre Man apologetically.

"Sorry Killer, I know simple answers won't satisfy you like they do Kidd. Can't blame a girl for trying I guess." she sighed and ran her hands through her hair, causing Killer to notice for the first time that her bandanna was missing from her head. Not to mention the white tank top usually adorning her body was replaced by a simple ivy-coloured t-shirt.

Killer crossed his arms, staring the fisherwoman down, before finally speaking.

"You didn't seem the religious type."

"I'm not." Kishi answered, flinching several seconds later after silence met her answer upon realising that wasn't quite the response the Massacre Man was looking for.

"Okay, elaborate, elaborate... You know I've lived on the Grand Line my whole life, right?" Kishi asked, receiving a solemn nod in return. Encouraged, the fisherwoman continued.

"I've seen a lot of pirates come through the Grand Line. Some make it, but most don't. I more or less started doing... this, every once in a while to remember the pirates I've met who died while going for what they wanted." Kishi explained, gesturing around the room at 'this' and Killer followed her hand to take in the room again.

"Ah." came the ever-articulate response from the first mate. He didn't quite know what to say to that one. It just wasn't the sort of thing he expected the fisherwoman to think of. Her next meal, her next catch, and the people who immediately surrounded her was what he expected her to think most about. Not people she'd never see again.

Kishi tried to hide a smile at the first mate's typical lack of words for the situation, knowing fully well he saw her, and turned back to the display she'd set up around her. She opened her mouth and continued to speak, even though she'd already given more than enough information to the Massacre Man to keep him happy.

"A candle for every person. Thankfully, there hasn't been so many new additions to the group in the six months since I last payed respects." Kishi smiled ruefully, relighting a splint and setting flame to a twisted, black candle that had the name "Loyola _Springheel_ Jack" printed into the wax.

Killer, not quite sure why he wasn't leaving, leaned against the wall furthest away from the fisherwoman and watched with the same morbid curiosity he approached everything with. Kishi understood the first mate's intentions, as she usually seemed to, without the need for extra words. She went about the ritual as she always had, ignoring the masked eyes boring into her back.

_"Bonheurs enfantins_  
_Trop vite oubliés effacés_  
_Une lumière dorée brille sans fin_  
_Tout au bout du chemin_  
_Vite oubliés effacés_  
_Une lumière dorée brille sans fin-"_

Killer grunted in mild surprise, Kishi'svoice was deepening in timbre as the song went on. Candles that should be stationary (Killer had closed the door) were flickering in a breeze that he couldn't feel.

_"Sens au coeur de la nuit_  
_L'onde d'espoir-"_

Pale, barely-discernible shapes formed above the flames of each candle. They didn't move from their places, but it threw the room into an eerie light that made it seem as if they were almost underwater.

_"Ardeur de la vie_  
_Sentier de gloire-"_

Killer felt his body relaxing as the song wore on, he couldn't tell if it was willingly or not, the words he couldn't understand flooded through his mind filling every available space with meaning. Which sounded stupid, since he had no clue what the fisherwoman was singing about but he assumed it was meaningful.

_"Ardeur de la vie, de la vie_  
_Sentier de gloire, sentir de gloire."_

And so it continued. Killer himself missed dinner, and sat listening to the entire ritual for some time between three hours and four. His mind, usually sharp, was hazed over and words of that song, the same song she sang over and over the whole time he was there, flashed in front of his eyes.

Killer had asked why she didn't sing it anywhere else, she told him it reminded her of bad things so she never sang it except for when performing the ritual.

Killer had asked how many candles there were, she told him there were more than she'd like there to be.

He'd asked what the globes of light above the candles had been, she told him she didn't see anything.

Killer had asked what the words of the song meant, and had received a wry smile with the response "_Humpty, dumpty sat on a_-" but he interrupted her before she got any further into her rendition. Curiosity was what killed the cat, a phrase Killer found turned on him very often. He wished sometimes, really wished, he followed that guideline a little more.

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In retrospect, wondering about the life Kishi chose to lead would have gotten it's answer eventually. Which was exactly why Kidd was standing on the deck of the 'Moby Dick' listening to Kishi prattle on about Ishida and Varda to Whitebeard himself. Who, surprisingly enough, was listening with avid interest and laughing along.

Kishi, Kidd, Killer, Marco and Whitebeard were seated on the main deck around Whitebeard's large chair that was hooked up to what looked like a large pacemaker while nurses adjusted the tubes sticking into the large man's forearms.

"Haha, that man gave me as much hell as old Garp did! It's a shame he wastes that strength running some old bar." Whitebeard downed a bottle of what looked to be the most expensive drink Kidd had yet to see. What annoyed him though, was that Kishi brought this bottle from the women's quarters.

She wouldn't share it with_ him _but of course she'd share with _Whitebeard_.

It's not as if that damn old man actually got the _title _'King of Pirates', why did everyone feel the need to treat him as one when the _real _king was right in front of them? The only reason Kidd remained silent was the bladeof Killer's scythe nudging him warningly in the side.

"He likes it, I think. It's an honest way to spend retirement and he says he's starting to feel old, especially since I was born. I doubt that's a compliment though." Kishiquipped dryly, swirling the chateau lafite around in the crystal glasses, not sure if she was more amused by the ridiculous price of the wine she had brought with her, or the gaudy drink ware.

"Honest... the old man forcibly extricates expensive goods from your ship every time you land in port." Killer drawled, clearly not too convinced by Kishi's description of the retired bounty hunter. Whitebeard's look of alarm obliged Kishi to calm him down, before reprimanding Killer. An angry Whitebeard was the last thing they needed, the entire point of this trip was to get the Kidd Pirates into Edward Newgate's good books. And that required a non-sarcastic Killer and a silent Eustass Kidd.

"Sorry about him, he tends to exaggerate things." Kishi said, lying through her teeth. Killer was probably the plainest speaker around, with words so blunt you could hit somebody over the head with them. It just so happened the Massacre Man didn't get a very good first (and only) impression of the barman.

Whitebeard's furrowed brow uncreased a little, but his beady eyes still bored into Kishi's own intensely.

"I bring Ishida souvenirs every time I visit him. Same with Varda, Shanks, you and a lot of my friends. Ishida just jokes around about 'taking things from me' and stuff." Kishi waved a dismissive hand in front of her face, which relaxed the enormous man's body who settled back into his equally enormous chair comfortably.

Kidd had begun twitching almost visibly as the conversation wore on. Everything was too warm, too friendly and too kami-damned like some kid's show for his taste. He thrived on fear, adrenalin and combat. Not sitting around on deck listening to a washed up old man talk about 'the old days' with a girl more than twice as young as him.

But, as expected, Killer's scythes poking him warningly in the side reminded him that, no, this was not just _any _washed-up old man. This was _the _washed up old man. So no comments, or fighting for him.

"Ace is doing fine, he's been going solo for a while now. Think he met up with his brother in Arabasta, and made a scene with a marine called Smoker." and so the topic of conversation continued, Kidd never really listened. But judging from the way Killer tensed up, the fact Kishi knew this 'Ace' was unknown to the Massacre man. Kidd didn't even bother lodge it in his memory, favouring instead to pick his teeth with a sliver of wood.

By the time the entire exchange was finished, Kidd could feel his head dropping dangerously. He was tired, and he just wanted to go back to his ship and sleep, but the Whitebeard Pirates _insisted _they have a party. Sothe mast of the Kidd Pirates' ship, which was barely visible over the edge of the monstrous Moby Dick, taunted him for the next four hours until, way too late for his taste, Killer deemed it polite enough for them to leave and all three occupants of the Kidd Pirates' ship slunk down the boarding plank and back onto their ship quietly.

"Bye, pops!" Kishi bellowed up the boarding plank, knowing the old man would hear and understand. He always did. That was the reason she loved him so much.

"That was not what I expected when you said 'an old friend is coming to drop by and say hi later.'" Kidd groaned stretching his arms behind his back, not fully believing he'd been talked into staying quiet the entire time and, what's more, that he went along with it. He sat down heavily on a barrel and stared... more like glared at the night sky.

"I never was good with specifics." Kishi mused aloud, bending down to scratch Taiga's ears who had begun winding through her legs expectantly. Whitebeard hated the cat almost as much as Kidd did, so Kishi always had to leave him behind on her visits.

Before Kidd could get annoyed, Killer wasn't even sure the captain had the energy to judging by the bags under his eyes, he interjected quickly.

"Firefist Ace, you know him too?" he asked curiously, watching as a small wistful smile tugged the corners of Kishi's mouth.

"Ah, I do." she didn't continue, but Killer dropped it. Her tone didn't sound as if it contained anything he'd find interesting anyway.

A light snore startled the two out of their thoughts, and both turned simultaneously to see Kidd perched on a barrel, head back against the wall and snoring his lungs out. Taiga, not recognising the sound coming from the man's mouth, seeing as both his owner and Vito were silent sleepers, crawled up on Kidd's lap, placed his front paws on each of Kidd's shoulders, and stared into the half-open mouth curiously until a particularly loud snore startled him from his perch and he flew back to Kishi's side.

"I didn't pin him as a snorer." Kishi tried in vain to suppress a smile. The usually-terrifying captain in a position like this was hard to be afraid of. Nobody pulled off looking threatening in their sleep. People were either tranquil or baby-sleepers. Kidd was so obviously a baby-sleeper it was hilarious. His bright red hair, pale skin and smoothly rounded face (despite the angular nose) all combined to make him look nearly ten years younger than he actually was.

"I'm surprised you can't hear him from the women's quarters. It will get louder later." Killer stated dryly.

Killer bent over, offering a quick mumbled excuse to Kishi that 'if the captain got sick he'd never hear the end of it' and easily pulled the captain up into his arms. For such a lanky-looking man, Killer was a lot stronger than he looked. Especially to lift someone like Kidd who, while not all that tall, was of a fairly impressive bulk.

Kishi used every non-girly sense she had to suppress the 'aaawwww' that threatened to escape her mouth, Killer would, well, kill her if he heard it. Picking Taiga up as the Massacre Man and sleeping captain entered the men's dorms, Kishi sat on the edge of the ship with her legs swinging childishly over the drop.

She opened her mouth, and let a few wordless notes escape her mouth as she began to sing softly and stare at the sky. It was a full moon tonight.

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Seregunda: Again, sorry for such a major delay in the update, but here's the new chappie anyway and I hope you enjoyed it!^.^ The song in this chapter is Vois Sur ton Chemin, a french song from the movie the Chorists. Literally, the soundtrack to that movie is _amazing_. It fit the whole 'sombre' mood of the first part, even though I only have about three quarters of an idea of what the lyrics mean! R&R please, I loooooveeee uuuuu!


	13. Break the Record

Seregunda: Okay, screw weekly updates! From here on out it'll be supply on demand!^^ Thanks so much to those who reviewed my last (slightly rushed) chapter: 'santa clause is a stalker', xenocanaan, Moonlight Calls, Regsd and Aoi24.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Kishi looked like death himself: so much so that even the observant Killer blinked once, twice before realising it was indeed the cheerful fisherwoman who returned from her daily fishing trip.

Taiga, yowling and screeching like a bat out of hell, scarpered the second the dingy hit the side of the Kidd Pirates' ship and flew immediately to hide in the kitchen cupboards where Jun would feed him strips of dried out meat as he worked.

"Tohru? Where the fuck is that lazy-ass doctor?" Vito snarled, for once looking every inch the merman he was and ready to annihilate anyone in his way. His unnaturally beautiful face contorted with anger, rage and a hint of fear.

He was standing in the middle of the upper death with Kishi who was ghastly pale and strangely limp in his arms, her limbs were dangling uselessly and what could be seen of her skin was a pale pallor and covered in a sheen of sweat. Most of her body was dripping in blood, her own, and a large Sea King fang was jutting out of her stomach. It was tinged green and still dripping in saliva.

Hands touching her, pulling her, shouting, arguing, muffled groans, someone just pinched her calf muscle, the sound of the wind and ocean flooded her head, her stomach was sore, her head was sore, _she _was sore. Kishi's mind was a mess, everything jumbled together and it felt as if her brain had turned to mush and was sloshing around in her head.

And then, one loud shout and a bang of a door later, there was blissful silence and she was lowered onto something soft. Now she missed the noise, it was distracting. Now she felt sorer.

More hands touching her. Soft murmuring, the clatter of metal equipment. A sloshing sound and then wet, now she was cold and wet. Something just whined, was it her? Didn't sound like it, sounded like Taiga when she forgot to feed him one day.

Pain again. It was excruciating, but she didn't know why she didn't mind. Probably because she was so sore already.

Something just jabbed her upper arm... it doesn't hurt anymore. It's hard to think, maybe she should stop? Not thinking sounded good, her brain was sore just a short while ago. Not anymore though... Sleeping seemed even better than not thinking. Yes, sleeping sounds good.

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"Damnit, I'm losing her." Tohru hissed, rifling through stacks and stacks of notes on how to treat Sea King venom. It didn't help that there were over one hundred and seventy two different kinds.

The fisherwoman's breaths were escaping her chest in jarring, haggard puffs but her body remained still. She had lost the energy to thrash about on the way back to the ship, Vito had said. The fang had been removed and she had been cleaned up, courtesy of a bucket of water lying around in the medical wing.

" I-I got it! This'll help her, right? It'll save her?" Vito tumbled through the door, a crystal vial containing sickly-looking pink liquid clutched between his two hands. His face no longer held the terrifying expression it had earlier, just tears and worry now. But for the wrong reasons, now it was more a 'how will I survive on the ship without her?' than an 'I'll be so sad if she leaves us' kind of sadness.

"Might." Tohru examined the vial sceptically, he'd never heard of anything like this before but the girl had told the merman this is what she usually used to fight off the venom...

With a nonchalant shrug, Tohru pushed the fisherwoman's t-shirt up a few inches, and doused the injury with the pink serum. And then, for good measure, tipped the girl's head back and poured some down her throat.

Not like it'd kill _him _if it went wrong.

"Leave it now, if she's dead within an hour there was nothing I could do. If she survives past then... we'll see." Tohru yawned, scratching his ear tiredly. He didn't know why it was necessary for him to work on the girl: it wasn't as if he were one of those people who became a doctor to help others, and she sure as hell wasn't a crew member despite whatever Jun might think.

One last glance over his shoulder at the too-still-to-be-sleeping fisherwoman turned sour and the doctor walked calmly up the stairs with Vito following skittishly on his heels, wiping his bloodied hands on a handkerchief. Someone else could take watch.

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Grogginess clouded her mind, and any noises from 'the outside' mingled with each other and entered her head a jumbled mess. The only sound that was clear to her, was the weak but steady beat of her heart thrumming out consistently.

"Shraigopopfrsiaj?" Kishi groaned audibly upon hearing whatever gibberish was grumbled from not too far to her left.

She blinked away any remnants of sleep her eyes still contained blearily, and tried in vain to get them to focus. It wasn't working, either the entire world was now made of moving blob-like shapes or something was up with her eyes.

A red blob suddenly took up her entire field of vision, and a babbling noise started up. Whatever the blob wanted, it didn't sound too rushed or worried.

A full minute of gabbling at the unresponsive fisherwoman seemed to give the blob the hint that she was completely disorientated and had no idea what was going on. It fell silent and moved slightly further left so Kishi could only see it out of the corner of her eye.

"Who's there?" her voice rasped out, very nearly unintelligible, to the point where Kishi wouldn't have been even a little offended if red blob thought she was dying.

"...Kidd...you...poison...annoying..." the deep voice grumbled. Kishi could still only understand every other word, but the tone of voice and one or two hints she did pick up gave it's identity away. 'Red blob' should have been a good enough clue, but Kishi's brain still wasn't working properly. Although her mind was clearing up little by little.

"Kidd... Where am I?" her voice was a little clearer this time, and the captain picked up on it immediately. He started talking too fast again, and Kishi winced at the volume in his voice.

A few more minutes, and Kishi's mind was back to normal. Her body couldn't move, unless you counted being able to follow Kidd's movements around the room with her eyes 'moving'. At least her senses were coming back to her.

"Everyone else had taken a turn watching you, so I felt it was my duty to do so as well." Kidd informed the fisherwoman, who had been propped up against the pillows for the past fifteen minutes because Kidd claimed it was annoying to talk to someone lying down.

"Tell Killer I said thanks." Kishi grunted, knowing straight away it had been the Massacre Man who had forced the captain to share responsibilities and not the red-headed captain himself.

Kidd scowled, not liking that his lie had been seen through, and kept going anyway.

"I will, I'd never be stuck down here watching an idiot like you otherwise, you know." Kidd snapped, crossing his arms and leaning back into his chair easily.

"I guessed." Kishi snickered, as a vein ticked in Kidd's forehead. For some reason, he didn't like the fact that the fisherwoman had held such a low opinion of his generosity, even if it was poor as it was it ticked him off she just assumed he didn't do it by himself. Even though she was right.

"Where's Taiga?" Kishi continued, ignoring the fuming captain who turned and gave her an 'are-you-serious?' look.

"Why would _I _know where the fleabag is? Ask Jun when it's his turn to babysit." Kidd grumbled massaging his temples, already wishing the fisherwoman was unconscious again.

"Where's the fang?" Kishi pressed on, her eyes growing wider with every second she couldn't see the pearly white that had been jutting out of her stomach/

"What?" Kidd let all four legs of the chair hit the ground, not sure if he heard it right.

" The fang, where is it?" Kishi looked close to a panic attack, and Kidd's brow furrowed even further.

"Relax, the doctor took it out. We weren't going to leave it sticking into you. Someone would come after us." Kidd added, as if an afterthought.

"Where is it _now_?" Kishi screeched, the pitch of her normally placid voice ricocheting inside Kidd's skull.

"Probably thrown out, Killer said it wouldn't sell for much anymore. Your blood got on it." Kidd said, almost accusingly. At least Kishi knew where she stood on with the crew, worth less than a fang and slightly more than Taiga or Vito. Wonderful.

"I _needed _that fang." Kishi grumbled, slumping down against the pillows, all energy she might have had suddenly gone.

"You have enough money." Kidd snorted dismissively, remembering the sheer amount of beri Kishi had dragged onto the ship after _Pinta_ had sunk. Years of hunting those beasts had certainly paid off.

"I know I have enough _money_!" Kishi snapped back, suddenly her good mood had dissipated and she was left feeling as if, well, as if she had a hole in her stomach. Which she technically did.

"Well why do you want the fang then?" Kidd snarled, getting annoyed at not knowing what half of the conversation was about.

Sighing, Kishi relented.

"Nothing that involves new-age pirates Kidd." for once, Kidd felt as if his name was used in the literal way, and this girl his own age was ten times older than he was.

"I'm mature for my age." a comment that under normal circumstances would have elicited a laugh from the fisherwoman, caused her to turn her head to face him a bit better with a wry smile pulling on her lips.

"You are, aren't you?" Kidd felt bare, the girl knew something. Something about him she shouldn't, but also something he wasn't going to bring up. He continued on.

"Well?" he prompted.

"Why the long face, Mr. Kidd? It's not a _sad_story, an annoying one, but not sad." Kishi chuckled, crossing her arms behind her head trying to think of the best way to tell the tale with as little questions as possible to answer at the end.

Kidd's eyes narrowed, getting impatient, and had been about to tell her to hurry the hell up or he was leaving when she opened her mouth.

"Well, to get to the basics, of course you know who Gol D. Roger was. And I've told you many times how my family have always fished the Grand Line." it was a statement, not a question, so the captain kept quiet and let her continue.

"Some years back, Roger heard about my family's prowess with Sea King hunting. He thought it would be a good test of strength fo him to try it out and best our best hunter's record. Which had been four hundred and eighty four fangs. Roger managed to get four hundred and eighty five during his lifetime. As you can imagine, my family were none too happy that an outsider bested us at our own game. Since then, every one of us have tried to beat Roger's record. Not for fame, glory or any of that. We just... felt as if we'd been replaced and nobody needed us anymore." Kishi closed her eyes, remembering well the instructions her grandfather used to drill into her head.

"You're trying to beat the Pirate King's record? _You_?" the funny thing is, the way it came out of Kidd's mouth made the comment seem less like an insult and more like surprise talking.

"Uhuh. What, you respect me now?" Kishi grinned, good humour flowing back into her expression and voice.

"Depends. How many fangs you got so far?" Kidd leered, obviously expecting an answer only reaching double-digits if even.

"That fang _would _have been my four hundred and third. If you hadn't thrown it out." Kishi grumbled, still pissed at the event until a thought she was embarrassed hadn't occurred earlier entered her head.

"How long have I been out?" Kishi interjected, just as the captain was about to voice his surprise. He opened and closed his mouth once before spitting out 'Five days' to the shocked fisherwoman.

"That long? No wonder I feel so groggy." Kishi sighed, making herself comfortable once again. She could feel her eyes drooping already, despite already having been asleep so long.

Kidd said something she didn't catch, and Kishi was lost to oblivion once again.

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The following two weeks were hell for Kishi. Three days after she had first woken up, Kishi felt bored and well enough to wander around the ship again. Trouble is, the ship's doctor had taken an instant hate towards her and wouldn't let her out of bed. Which, from a medical point of view, she could agree with to an extent.

It was when he banned reading, board games, radios, and singing that Kishi got the feeling she might not be the man's favourite person in the world. And when the comment 'try not breathing' after she asked how to speed up recovery time came out of the doctor's mouth it became a two-way thing. Their hatred was silent, but deadly.

And it was an unspoken rule that when Tohru ditched what Kidd called 'baby-sitting duty' that Kishi mentioned it to nobody and didn't go anywhere.

Except tonight, of course.

Tonight the Kidd Pirates were celebrating a recent win against a commander of the navy, that happened while they were docked at a nearby island Kishi never got the name of because she was trapped below deck.

Now, they were out at sea again and everyone but Kishi and Taiga were below deck in the mess hall getting locked on bad rum and dining on Jun's poor-but-steadily-improving cooking. There was even music. Tasteless, loud, annoying and tuneless music where the singer seemed to be aiming to deafen the crowd, but music all the same which was big for the Kidd Pirates.

Taiga hopped up on the ship's ballast, a leather pouch that he had been clutching since midday still clamped firmly in his jaws. Kishi knew better than to try and procure it, if Taiga wanted her to have it he'd have dropped it by her bedside expecting praise and a treat for his treasure-hunting skills. Kami knows she'd had enough rats dumped on the end of her bed by now to know the way the cat's mind worked.

"_I am a question to the world_  
_Not an answer to be heard_  
_Or a moment_  
_That's held in your arms-_

_And what do you think you'd ever say?_  
_I won't listen anyway_  
_You don't know me_  
_And I'll never be what you want me to be_"

Kishi sang along with whoever was singing below deck, but with a considerably better sound escaping her lips. Why did some people feel the need to mangle perfectly good music? Even though she did it herself all the time.

"_And what do you think you'd understand?_  
_I'm a boy, no, I'm a man_  
_You can't take me_  
_And throw me away_

_And how can you learn what's never shown?_  
_Yeah, you stand here on your own_  
_They don't know me_  
_Cause I'm not here_"

"Bit of a change from that annoying sea shanty you persist in singing." a cold voice grumbled behind her, and Kishi glanced to her left to see the _good _doctor stalking towards her menacingly. Taiga's hackles raised, and a vicious spitting noise escaped through his fangs.

Kishi, not one to be perturbed, just nodded in acknowledgement to what he had said, and continued singing. All the while examining his appearance thoroughly, she never really got the chance to before, she'd been too busy hating him.

He wasn't as handsome as Vito, but very few were. Pale white hair stuck up on his head in tufts, his skin was pale. Green eyes, almost as green as Taiga's single one. Tall too, taller than Kidd, but slimmer with less of Kidd's muscular bulk.

Ordinary, run-of-the-mill slacks and seafaring ware were his choice of clothing. His eyes were dazed, but they were like that naturally. Tohru came off as a slob, in general, but his work was always flawless.

"_And I want a moment to be real_  
_Wanna touch things I don't feel_  
_Wanna hold on and feel I belong_  
_And how can the world want me to change?_  
_They're the ones that stay the same_  
_They don't know me_  
_Cause I'm not here_."

Tohru spent half an hour sitting next to Kishi in silence, listening to her singing almost inaudibly under her breath along to some of the songs that would play below and making comments when a song she didn't know started playing and she had no choice but to clam up.

"What are you two doing?" a familiar voice called out, and Kishi thanked whatever gods were looking out for her tonight. Turning around, Kishi's thoughts were confirmed when she saw Killer standing on the deck, his body slightly tensed. Suspicious.

"Listening." both Kishi and Tohru answered in unison. They glanced at each other and Tohru laughed. Kishi didn't.

Killer relaxed himself, noticing Kishi's discomfort. Obviously, the girl didn't need to be warned about their unusual doctor. Mortician would be a closer word to the truth.

And as Killer sent Kishi not back to the medical wing, but to the women's quarters, he was thinking. Tohru had made it more than obvious that he disliked the girl... but the friendly act tonight said otherwise. Kidd wasn't going to notice this in time, so Killer made a mental note to keep an eye on Tohru. They needed him, but you could never be too cautious.

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Seregunda: Hey, thanks for reading! R&R please, coz reviews attract plot bunnies! The song used in this chappie is I'm Still Here by the Goo Goo Dolls.


	14. The Autumn Island

Seregunda: I feel special, and not in a good way! I only just found out how to set up a poll, so if any of you readers have favourites for future pairings let me know and I'll do my best!^^ And thanks to all those who reviewed my last chapter: Moonlight Calls, 'santa clause is a stalker', nothing new in this world, and wildroadrunner!:)

And for 'santa clause is a stalker', while I still haven't fleshed out specifics, Tohru ain't gonna be good news! Any further information would sorta be a spoiler, sorry!T-T

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Kishi scraped the cod's intestines from her cleaved hook slowly, methodically and completely relying only on her body's remembrance of the task.

Her mind was completely dedicated to observing the first mate inquisitively as he sparred with Zombie, his movements lithe and agile but not lacking in strength. It had been a while since she'd seen a pirate employ speed, strength, agility and intelligence in battle. Killer's dexterity was amazing, and her eyes trailed after the twirling scythes when she could track them. But more often than not, that was impossible.

The spectacle, seen often enough by the majority of the crew, was largely ignored and had an audience of only Kishi and Vito. Jun was below deck readying the dinner, and Kidd was probably off tormenting one of the other crew members for a change.

"He had to be called Massacre Man for a reason I suppose." Vito sniffed, pretending to not be even a little intimidated by the display of raw power before him.

"He's bloody amazing." Kishi murmured back, completely taken by surprise at how much the first mate with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge had improved. He was always _good_, but this was something else.

"I could do it too, if I wanted too." Vito dismissed the spar with a flick of his tail and crossed his arms, undamaged arm over the scarred.

"Course you could." Kishi teased and dragged her attention back to her daily cleaning duties with a low hum, barely loud enough to hear over the twang of Killer's scythes and the almost gentle whooshing sound of Zombie's flame breath singeing the air.

As Vito began protesting, the dull sound of a shot being fired sounded out off the starboard side of the ship.

"Did you?" Kishi glanced up to look again at the merman's face, who's mouth had drawn back into a grim line as the fisherwoman trailed off.

Complete silence filled the ship for what felt like hours but were only a few seconds, if even. Killer and Zombie drew back to a standstill, Kidd had stomped out onto the upper deck along with Jun, and any crew member that had been working stiffened. All heads turned south-east.

Nothing, nada, zip, zilch, zero. That was what Kishi could make out.

Open sea, really strong current but the 'ocean's gift' fixed that so it was fairly smooth sailing. Good wind too, so what on earth...

*_CRAAAACCCKKK*_

The sound of splintering wood assailed Kishi's ears and she was thrown against a ballast as the ship heaved beneath her. The crew started shouting, panicked, until Kidd's strong authoritive voice sounded out above all the rest and started giving directions.

Calmed, but still jittery, the crew took their positions against the enemy that had yet to appear.

Vito and Kishi, standing at the figurehead without knowing whether they should help or not, grabbed Taiga as he scarpered past and held on to the hissing and spitting ball of fur as the ship filled with silence again.

Kishi braced herself against the skeletal figurehead as an entire volley of shots made contact with the hull of the ship.

"They're underwater! Dogma, fire at the water's surface!" Killer ordered the sharpshooter, and the three others he had taken under his wing to man the few canons the Kidd Pirate ship contained.

Four loud resounding booms sounded out, as the Kidd Pirates' canons shot at a dull shadow they had just begun to be able to make out under the water made itself known.

While the cannonballs missed, Kishi watched with half-interest, half-anxiety as a pathetic looking speaker attached to a periscope ascended out of the water and a degrading, snotty voice began speaking through it.

"Well, well, well. For having two men with the highest bounties of the rookies on the Grand Line, this crew is remarkably slow to react." Kishi, despite not being able to see the captain's reaction herself, could feel him seething from where she was standing.

The idiot in the sub was obviously a marine. The snobby attitude and sneaky attack confirmed that by itself.

Kidd, highly irritated, leaned over the edge of the ship and snarled something unintelligible down into the speaker. Kishi couldn't hear him from where she was standing, but assumed it was as terrifying as everything else the insane captain did. Especially when an unintentional 'meep' could be heard travelling through the air ducts of the speakers.

Another round of volleys, and Kishi's ears began throbbing. She and Vito were standing too close to the Kidd Pirates' cannons. Temporarily deafened, not the first time it's happened her, but it never felt less sore or got any easier.

The sensation of a rocking ship, minus the sound, was and still is one of the weirdest sensations you would ever find. Not hearing the canons, waves, or screaming as one crew slaughtered another in the middle of the ocean was weirder still. But, it made it easier to cope with watching men being murdered, not having to hear it happen. It's as if you were watching it on a screen with the volume turned off.

Kishi was pushed away from Vito, a marine had careened into them after being sent flying by one of Mohawk's punches. She stumbled sideways a bit, managing to steer clear of the main fray but her damaged ears made it difficult to balance properly. It was raw luck and sheer skill on a lot of the crew's part that kept her alive.

Something hit her in the back, and she was sent sprawling to the floor. Kishi groaned, she knew she did, but she couldn't hear herself do it. She staggered back to her feet, only to be knocked down again. The same thing happened a few more times before she realised something was up. Glancing upwards groggily, Kishi realised a marine with steel-toed boots was hovering over her. Kishi moved her arm as if to get up and watched almost detached as the man's foot twitched. He'd been kicking her down.

Kishi, not all too afraid of the man, clambered to her feet once again and more or less swayed out of his foot's reach.

He shouted at her, or else his mouth hung open for no reason and he was trying to catch flies. One or the other. A scythe slid through the man's back to stick out through his chest. Kishi watched, strangely fascinated with how easy this was to take when you couldn't hear it happening.

Killer stepped out from behind the marine, she couldn't tell if he was talking or not. His mask blocked her view of his mouth. Kishi pointed at her ears, a canon, and shook her head. Killer nodded, seeming to get it, and stabbed another marine deftly.

As the Massacre Man moved away, getting more involved in the fight, Kishi shook her head and moved towards the side of the ship where the battle was least dangerous. That being the side Vito was cowering in with Taiga clutched to his chest.

Kishi watched in confusion as Vito's mouth opened and closed rapidly, he dropped Taiga and started waving his arms. Kishi knew for a fact the merman couldn't hear either, he'd been right next to her, so why did he expect-before Kishi could finish that thought, her world turned black and she could vaguely feel herself topple sideways before blacking out completely.

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Wet, was the first thought that entered Kishi's brain that was comprehensible. 'Very wet', and 'stupid wet' were the next ones. After she had indeed confirmed she was surrounded by 'stupid wet' her thoughts became a little more intelligent.

Groaning, Kishi peeled her eyes open. She wasn't quite sure where she had expected to be, maybe neglected on one of Tohru's hospital beds without the man even bothering to dry her off, but lying on her stomach on white shingle was not high on her guess list.

Kishi's head swam as she pushed herself upright, but she sat up using her arms as support and lazily took in her surroundings to see if she could get her bearings on where she could be. Or even how the hell she got there.

She was sitting in a small cove, covered in white grainy sand that itched if you moved too much on it. It didn't have a village immediately next to it like most of the islands on the Grand Line would. No palm trees either, but she recognised a few of the trees around as sycamore, fir and holly. The breeze made her shiver, but it wasn't as if she was going to freeze to death. Not a Winter island, too cold to be a Summer. And since the sycamore tree was covered in little 'helicopters' there was no way it was Spring.

And for the life of her, Kishi couldn't remember the names of any of the Autumn islands near where she had gotten separated from the crew.

Pulling a strand of seaweed from her hair, Kishi clambered to her feet and adjusted her bandanna to sit firmly on her head. There was no island this side of the Grand Line she hadn't visited, all she had to do was find the village, find someone she knew and somehow find another idiot to hitch a ride with to Saboady Archipelago.

It took Kishi a full five minutes of walking to realise something that had not occurred in quite a while: Taiga was nowhere to be seen, and she had absolutely no idea where he could be. Somewhere in the depths of her mind, Kishi made a silent prayer in hope Jun would keep the cat from under Kidd's feet. With Kishi gone, nothing was stopping the captain from murdering the feline.

Kishi's pace slowed considerably at this revelation, and her toes scuffed the surface of the dirt track she had been plodding along.

"Alone again, just like before Taiga." Kishi voiced aloud, finding comfort in the sound of her own voice. She could deal with isolation, no problem whatsoever. But Kishi was fully aware that loneliness was a completely different story.

The day wore on that way, Kishi rambling aloud to keep her spirits up, and the barrenness of the island welcoming her eerily.

And, as the day wore on, Kishi realised it wasn't just the cat she missed. She cursed out loud, the Kidd Pirates had grown on her to an extent she hadn't realised. All things considering, it was for the best she got away from them now. If she got too used to their presence she might not be able to reacquaint herself with the solitude of her usual lifestyle.

_"Kamome no suihei-san, naranda suihei-san,_  
_shiroi boshi, shiroi shatsu, shiroi fuku,_  
_nami ni chappu chappu ukande-ru."_

If nothing else, the song never failed to cheer her up. Stupid sounding and childish though it may be, it was her favourite song of all time. Even if she didn't know why.

_"Ka-mo-me no sui-hei-san, ka-ke-a-shi suihei-san,_  
_shiroi boshi, shiroi shatsu, shiroi fuku,_  
_nami o chappu chappu koete iku."_

The trees, which had become dense some hours ago, began to thin around her and Kishi swore she could see faint lights, or really depressing fireflies, at the edge of the forest.

"_Ka-mo-me no sui-hei-san, na-ran-da suihei-san,_  
_shiroi boshi, shiroi shatsu, shiroi fuku,_  
_nami ni chappu chappu ukande-ru."_

Kishi stepped out from under the canopy of trees and blinked under the watery mid-Autumn sunlight. She might have been sore, tired and cranky but Kishi swore she had never seen a better sight than the village stretched out below her that she saw that day.

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"What do you _mean _you have no idea where she is?" Kidd snarled, tightening his grip on Vito's throat. It had been three days since the attack, and feeling the ship had gotten too quiet, Kidd had went out of his way to find Kishi for some entertainment (to argue with her) and what did he find? A wimpy merman snivelling over some rusty hooks and tangled nets with the blood ugliest cat in the world. And Jun too.

"S-she got hit in the back of the head by a marine and fell overboard! He blindsided her!" Vito wailed, clutching the hook so hard a thin trail of blood leaked down his palm. Kidd was surprised the merman wasn't too shallow to cry, seeing as how it made him look even more repulsive than usual.

"You can _breathe underwater_! What the hell was stopping you from jumping after her?" Kidd snarled. If there was one thing he couldn't stand it was somebody who didn't help their crewmates. He didn't give a damn about anyone else, but for crew mates you always go out of your way.

Vito, becoming rather useless to the situation, began hyperventilating. Kidd halted his interrogation, but only because Jun, fat, friendly, too-nice-for-his-own-good Jun placed a restrictive hand on his shoulder. Not that the chef would have been able to stop him if he really wanted to let rip, but considering the situation, Jun's advice would make everything go that bit faster.

Once the merman had calmed down, Taiga began batting his tail fin almost lazily as he hiccuped once or twice before giving signal he could talk again.

"Why didn't you tell us she was gone? A missing person, especially a non-crew member, is easy to miss after a battle." Kidd's voice had lowered dangerously, and Jun rolled his eyes visibly. The whole point of stopping Kidd was to calm down the merman, that wasn't going to work if Kidd used every chance he got to terrify the wits out of him.

"I-I've been looking myself! I... I thought I could find her myself." Vito looked away, unnaturally calm given the situation, but the bitter undertone of his voice did not go unnoticed by either the chef or the captain.

"And look how far that's got you." Kidd sneered and straightened up, scanning the upper deck for the one of the two people he knew would not have missed her disappearance.

"What are you doing?" the surprise didn't mean to come out as pronounced as it did in Jun's voice. He just hadn't expected his uncaring captain's first impulse to be to find the missing fisherwoman. He'd expected the redhead to ignore it, and have the first mate nag him into action. Like what had happened with Macro.

"...Nothing." Kidd grumbled, fisting his hands and stuffing them into his over-sized pockets. Jun immediately regretted saying anything, guaranteed if he had just kept his mouth shut Kidd wouldn't have realised quite what he'd been ordering until it had been done.

"I'm going to go ask Killer if he's noticed anything. He always does." Jun announced jovially, snapping the brooding captain out of his thoughts. The flash of recognition behind Kidd's eyes told Jun that this had been the captain's intentions before he'd been interrupted. Not that it took a genius to figure out. If something went wrong on the ship everyone went to Kidd first, and if that failed it was always Killer.

"Don't bother, it's not like she does anything on the ship anyway." Kidd snorted dismissively, now acting the part he usually played. A jackass.

"Maybe not to you, captain. But she helps keep up the kitchen's stock of fish, we'd have cut it close a few times if she weren't aboard." Jun informed the redhead, who looked momentarily stumped as the enormous man plodded to the library dutifully where the first mate was more than likely to be found.

"You want the bitch back too, right?" Kidd eyeballed the merman irritatedly, who had begun scratching the ears of the ginger cat automatically.

"Y-yes sir!" Vito snapped to attention and staggered upright, balancing impressively enough on his tail fin.

"Tohru probably knows. Ask him." Kidd turned his back on the flabberghasted merman, who shrugged immediately and shuffled off to find the ship's doctor with the cat still clutched in his arms, who looked none too happy with his new position.

"Captain?" Mohawk, who had heard the entire exchange, interjected carefully, not quite sure what he was supposed to say in this situation.

"Your turn for watch, get into the crow's nest." Kidd responded gruffly, turning his back on his 'lookout' and stalking away. Mohawk hadn't the heart to tell him it was Zombie's turn for the next hour and a half.

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Seregunda: Hope everyone enjoyed the update! Again, anybody who has a specific favourite pairing don't be afraid to vote on the **poll** I set up on my profile page! Love you all, even my silent readers! But seriously, R&R please coz reviews attract plot bunnies!^-^


	15. Bears, penguins and Laws that bind them

Seregunda: Thanks everyone who reviewed my last chapter (silentm00n, santa clause is a stalker, Finalangel509)! Seriously don't know how I'd go on without you guys! This chapter is set on Asuka Island, the setting of the 5th one piece movie. Thanks for those who've voted on the poll too, so far Kidd's in the lead so anyone who wanted anyone else to be in the running might want to put in a vote!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over the world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Asuka Island was celebrating. Something about a green-haired samurai and the Seven Stars Sword, Kishi didn't really pay all that much attention. Not that anyone could blame her, being marooned on an island with no way off was distracting enough without being overly-nosy about the inhabitants' lives.

All she knew was that the Strawhats were here, saved the island from marines, and left due to said marines. Or something like that. Which was why Kishi was sitting in a bar on the same island she woke up on getting more irritated by the minute.

"So you're looking for Silvers, are you?" Izaya sighed, her hunched back trembling slightly with every barely ragged breath she took. Her cheeks were flushed as pink as her hair, but the blush didn't suit the wizened old face well at all.

Izaya, along with the rest of the island, were still drunk and celebrating what was once the defeat of the marines which quickly changed into Maya's, Izaya's beautiful granddaughter, wedding with a local named Saga.

So, a week later, all the islanders were drunk off their heads shouting victory songs during a wedding ceremony and singing the bridal march during the marine dojo's later speech.

"Yes ma'am. Do you know when the next ship to... anywhere is?" Kishi tried hopefully, knowing it was in vain. Asuka island was ignored by petty much everyone. It was used to train some marine samurais, no trade goods to speak of, only the occasional cultural history enthusiast looking for legends and stories would occasionally dock here. Or lost pirates.

"Shipsh, shmipsh. Try some sake, it's good for your heart young'un!" all of a sudden, the stooped over little old lady straightened up in a barking laughter, to over six foot five in height. Once the fit of laughter had subsided, Izaya stooped over again, still chuckling manically. Kishi had to force her heart to regain it's normal pace, no matter how many times she visited this mad old lady, that height caught her off guard every time.

"No thanks... I'm being good." Kishi could feel a vein twitch in her forehead as the old woman tried forcing the cheap alcohol into Kishi's mouth, who pursed her lips tightly to refuse entrance. She wasn't the biggest fan of alcohol in the world, and when she _did _drink she liked it expensive and high quality. No way was that stuff going anywhere near her taste buds.

"I saw lights at the harbour not too long ago, whoever docked might be able to help you."

Kishi turned gratefully to face the owner of the slightly rough voice and found Saga, the groom, scratching the back of his head apologetically for the old woman's behaviour. Tallish build, silver hair, tanned skin and rugged good looks. Kishi had to admit, Maya was a lucky girl. It worked both ways she supposed though, Maya was stunning herself with an hourglass figure and coral blue hair.

"Thanks, wasn't going to get anything out of her any time soon!" Kishi laughed the scene off and exited the bar quickly, not really in the mood to socialise. Getting stranded in 'the back-arse of nowhere', as Ishida would call it, did that to you.

Kishi stuffed her hands in the pockets of her denim shorts and kicked a pebble distractedly along the dirt path in front of her. Something about being the only person _not _having a reason to celebrate made her feel awkward.

As Kishi approached the harbour at her own pace, she indeed could see what could only be a small lanterns, or if she was really lucky with this backwards place an electric light, reflected off the water's surface. She frowned, it didn't look as if there was a ship anywhere in sight.

Settling down on the sandy beach next to a large boulder, Kishi narrowed her eyes and watched the light move at a steady pace towards the beach and the small dock that jutted out into the sea. It has to be a boat but... Kishi could only see that little light and the blackness that surrounded it. No sign of boat, ship or any sailing vessel she could think of unless...

Kishi dodged behind the boulder, peeking up over the top precariously as the light rose above the ocean level and a shadowy figure emerged from under the water. Eyes widening as the object drew closer, it eventually registered in Kishi's mind the light had been attached to a periscope, which in turn had been attached to a submarine.

Kishi ducked down again as the hatch opened. Of _bloody_ course the marines that had attacked the Kidd Pirates would make their way here. It was the only marine base in the area, as pathetic as it was, so it was only natural that they'd come here to re-stock.

Kishi glanced around the side of the boulder and saw the sub had now docked and had emerged as much as it could from the water. Without taking in too many of the details, Kishi acted on impulse and grabbed a rock two feet to her left.

A decent size, bigger than her fist but small enough for maneuverability.

Kishi crouched behind the boulder, trembling in anticipation for what she was going to do. A high-pitched creak sounded throughout the beach as a door was swung open and loud raucous laughter spilled out of the sub.

"Nice to be back on land boys?" a voice called from, Kishi assumed, the foreplanes of the hull.

"Yes Cap'n!" came the enthusiastic shout from below. Captain, that was all Kishi needed to hear.

Before any of the other crew members could make it out and confuse her Kishi leaped from behind the boulder and, with a well-trained arm gained from years of harpooning, flung the rock at a pace even pro-baseball players would flinch at. With infallible accuracy, Kishi watched with a smirk as the rock hit the unsuspecting captain's head with a thud and he crumpled to the floor.

That was for stranding her on one of the most boring islands on the Grand Line, taking her away from Taiga, deafening her temporarily and damn near giving her a heart attack.

And she was just in time too, as another crew member emerged onto the top deck... deck?

Kishi squinted and in the darkness she could make out what she thought to be the weirdest thing ever. The submarine actually had two decks, upper and lower, attached to the outside for when they dock. Who'd have thought? And the periscope looked oddly mast-shaped... Oh crap.

Kishi watched in something that could only be horror as a huge crew member lumbered out after the fallen 'captain' and started shouting for others to come out and look.

"Since he's out cold I'm the captain. That means you have to do what I say." Kishi heard called out in what could only be the flattest voice she heard in her life. He didn't sound all that clever, so hopefully that made her job of _staying alive _that bit easier.

"Who's that?" a different voice called out, one Kishi hadn't heard yet. It took Kishi all of five seconds to realise a spotlight was blinding her to where she was standing.

"Get her!" five voices shouted out at once, and an immense scramble to be the first to disembark the boat ensued. Kishi took this opportunity to turn tail and run as fast as she could back to where she could hear the music playing in the village.

Kishi heard at least fifteen, at most twenty pairs of feet giving chase to her. Well, she might not be all that strong, and if they caught her she was dead. All she had to do was hope she was a little bit faster and fitter than the fastest and fittest of them.

Tumbling into the town, Kishi pushed and weaved her way through the celebrations and could hear screams in her wake no doubt caused by the men giving her chase.

She had completely lost her way at this point, but she recognised the bar only five metres in front of her as the one Izaya had been drinking in. Unknowingly, Kishi swerved just in time to avoid a massive paw connecting with her head as she ducked into the music-filled room.

Kishi realised about two seconds after choosing this place as her destination, that it probably wasn't the smartest idea.

The only exit in the place was the door she just came through which was now filled by a bunch of what looked to be pirates and a polar bear wearing an orange jumpsuit. The weirdness of the situation was completely lost on the fisherwoman, who leaped to the left onto a table to avoid a particularly weak-looking crew member swinging an axe around.

Oddly enough, these occurences did nothing to distract the villagers. The waitresses served around the scuffle rather than doing anything to prevent it and the singer hired for the celebrations didn't even falter in his performance. If anything, the fight seemed to have lit a new love of music in the withered old man who had been singing nothing but old songs nobody under eighty would have heard of before.

_"Lord Almighty,_  
_I feel my temperature rising_  
_Higher higher_  
_It's burning through to my soul."_

As the ancient old man bounced around the stage singing his frail old heart out, Kishi dove under the table to avoid a karate-chop by the polar bear only to watch in horror as the table, solid mahogany and nearly as tough as steel, splintered and snapped under his paw as if it were paper.

_"Girl, girl, girl, girl_  
_You gonna set me on fire_  
_My brain is flaming_  
_I don't know which way to go-"_

A man in a hat with the word 'penguin' printed on it tried next, he clipped the edge of Kishi's jaw as she swerved backwards to try and avoid it and ended up falling on her ass. Between the bear and penguin-man, there was at least two martial artists on board the sub. Crap.

_"Your kisses lift me higher_  
_Like the sweet song of a choir_  
_You light my morning sky_  
_With burning love!"_

The old man was cut off as the polar bear sent Kishi careening into him with a swift uppercut that she inevitably didn't have the skill or luck to avoid. A fist closed around the front of her shirt and hoisted her up into the air, only to be faced with a pair of extremely sharp-looking teeth. Oddly, all Kishi could think of now was the silence that had filled the bar once the old man had finally stopped singing. That had apparently been the incentive the townsfolk needed to get the picture and clam up in case they got hurt.

_"I'm j-just a-a hunk, a h-hunk of bu-burning lo-love-"_if nothing else, Kishi had to give the old man credit. Lying face down on the floor, no doubt half-crippled due to her weight falling on him, and he was still going.

Kishi watched, absolutely disgusted, as her red bandanna was ripped from around her neck and stuffed into the singer's mouth. She was _so_ not wearing that ever again.

"Who sent you?" a voice to the left asked, Kishi turned her head with difficulty and saw the man in the penguin hat waiting expectantly for her to answer.

"N-nobody." Kishi choked out and started struggling against the polar bear's death-like grip.

"Put me the hell down!" Kishi finally snapped, getting dizzy from lack of oxygen.

"Okay." the bear complied, dropping Kishi ever-so-elegantly down to land on her ass. At least now she knew where that bland voice had come from.

"What the hell is _wrong _with you? Don't take orders from prisoners!" the whole crew snapped in unison. The bear scratched the back of it's head apologetically.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologise! You're supposed to be a pirate!" penguin-hat groaned and, completely ignoring the martial artist bear, he turned to face the fisherwoman on the ground who had begun massaging her throat.

"Well? Who sent you?" he questioned, ready to take immediate action against the one who felled his captain.

"Nobody. I just threw the rock." Kishi explained, clambering back to her feet diligently and brushing down her shorts easily. She could tell the crew weren't very happy with her explanation, so she added a bit more.

"A submarine attacked the ship I was on yesterday, I thought yours was the same. Obviously it wasn't." Kishi drawled, now calm enough to take in the entire crew's appearance. Each of them were wearing what looked to be a cross between a boiler suit and a jumpsuit. Different colours though. And the jolly roger printed on the left shoulder of each of their outfits looked like a cross between a pumpkin and a skull grinning it's head off.

"You are the Heart Pirates." Kishi stated wonderingly, finally able to bring to mind the rookie crew from the North Blue.

"We are." they answered confusedly, but once again in unison. They obviously had no idea what to do with her now that they'd caught her.

"In that case, I must apologise for my behaviour. I was under the impression you were marines." Kishi bowed her head in respect, knowing this would only fluster the crew further. Clearly the whole 'female interaction' thing hadn't quite been hardwired into their beings.

"No-no, it's fine. Really, it was only a bump and I'm sure the Captain is up and about alre-" another crew member, this time a young man with auburn hair wearing a lumpy looking hat that slumped over his eyes, began protesting before a paw settled on his shoulder.

"It _is_her fault." the polar bear stated, and turned back to face the fisherwoman cursing a hundred times over under her breath.

"Since it's her fault, and I get to tell you what to do since I'm in charge, we bring her back to the Captain. Because I'm in charge." the bear leaned over Kishi's considerably smaller form and hoisted her over his shoulder with an ease that made the fisherwoman feel a lot weaker than she actually was.

"It's on your head Bepo." was the last thing Kishi really heard before the bear took off at a run Kishi was glad he didn't have a chance to build up in the dense crowds of the village earlier. She'd have been caught in two seconds flat if she'd been out in the open.

And then, after squeezing her eyes shut due to the rushing of the wind, the bear came to a sudden stop. When Kishi opened her eyes again she was surprised, but not pleasantly so, at the fact she was standing on the lower deck of the Heart Pirates' submarine with a considerably cranky pirate captain glaring at her while holding a bag of ice to his head.

Kishi didn't know why he was so angry, sure she might have hit him with a rock but _come on._ **She** hit him with a rock, there was something wrong if somebody without even a tiny bounty could knock out an upcoming pirate captain. Even if it _was _impossible to sense her in the darkness because she was weak enough to pass as an animal, and he couldn't see the rock until it was too late _because _it was dark.

"And who is this Bepo?" the man's voice was smooth as velvet, and despite the irritation Kishi could see building up behind his eyes, his face remained the picture of serenity. The composed ones were always harder to predict.

"She hit you with the rock Captain." penguin-hat drawled, poking Kishi forward until she was standing only a few feet in front of the pirate captain.

"Why?" this question was directed at Bepo, but Law's eyes remained glued to Kishi's.

"She thought we were marines. I think she's stupid." Bepo answered blandly. Law raised an eyebrow.

"That, or cleverer than she's letting on." the man's eyes took on a predatory gleam, and Kishi could tell he was going over all possible scenarios that could have played out for her to have thrown the rock. The annoyed look that passed over his face was more than enough to tell her he wasn't getting very far with it.

Marines would have sent someone stronger that would have been able to do more than just throw a rock. Pirates would have been over here gloating by now. The civilians had the marine dojo on the island and had no need to send weak girls to do their job. Law was profoundly stumped by the outcome, and the slightest bit annoyed he was caught off guard.

"Tell me what your motivation for your action was, and I warn you, I'll know if you're lying." Law settled back to lean comfortably against the wall of the ship a to observe the fisherwoman's reaction.

Kishi knew, without even trying her hand, that the rookie captain would have no trouble at all sniffing out a lie. And he was too new to life on the Grand Line for her name to have any effect on him yet.

Kishi opened her mouth, and told her story. She left out the Sea King hunting, because that was none of the captain's business, but she told the whole truth from the moment Kidd's ship rammed hers after he had nearly just arrived on the Grand Line, to the marine attack last night.

"I think I believe you." Law mused aloud, almost seeming amused. He certainly hadn't expected something like that to come out of her mouth. Never the less, the lump on his temple still didn't quite agree with his otherwise amicable nature.

"You're trying to find your way to Saboady Archipelago, correct me if I'm wrong because that is what I took from your story." Law laced his fingers underneath his chin, a lazy half-smirk forming on his face.

"That's right... Captain Law." Kishi nodded respectfully, knowing any other course of action would lead to her being trapped on Asuka for an indefinite amount of time. She didn't believe the Heart Pirates would kill her without a solid reason.

"Unless you'd rather stay here, I think we could work out an arrangement. You see, we happen to be heading for Saboady. Once there you can turn your back on us and pretend we never met before." Law offered, but Kishi could tell the man wasn't just being kind. He wouldn't have gotten this far on the Grand Line if he just offered help to every sob story he came across.

"But?" Kishi prompted the captain, only to watch in anxiety as the half-smirk formed into a full-blown evil grin. A look Kishi had learned to stay as far away from as she could. When given a choice.

"Nothing really... you'll just have to earn your keep on board. Unlike your last arrangement with Mr. Kidd, we don't owe you so you will have to pull your weight. A 'gopher' is a popular term used for it, I believe." Law was happy, now he could wipe his slate clean of the embarrassment she caused him, by torturing her that bit further. Nothing bad of course, just enough to agitate her a little.

"I can deal with a bit of manual labour, I'm in." Kishi beamed, holding out her hand for the lazy doctor to shake. And odd look flashed behind the captain's eyes, but he grabbed hold of the fisherwoman's hand and used it to hoist himself to his feet and shake properly.

"Pleasure doing business with you Ms?" Law continued, realising that with all the action, he never actually caught her name.

"Kishi." the fisherwoman smiled widely, finally things were getting back on track for her.

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"I'm not sure I understand what the problem is." Killer confessed, crossing his arms over his chest calmly as Vito, Jun, Tohru and his captain stared at him expectantly.

"What do you mean you don't see the problem? She could be _dead_!" Vito screeched, waving his arms above his head hysterically. Kidd scrunched up his face in annoyance and plugged his left ear, why did he get stuck next to the overenthusiastic merman?

"If she's dead there's nothing we can do. If she's alive we'll see her at Saboady when we get there. I fail to see the problem." Killer repeated calmly, making everyone who had come into the library looking for him feel that bit more childish.

"Hear that? Now stop freaking out and get back to your jobs. You're all giving me a headache." Kidd grumbled, turning away so as to not face his crew and heading for the door. Tohru, who seemed the least bothered by the scenario (except Killer) shook his head and refrained from saying that it was because of the captain they even went to bother the first mate in the first place. Hell, Tohru wouldn't have even left his clinic if Kidd hadn't threatened to distort all his metal equipment.

A chorus of 'Yes captain' followed and everyone, except Vito and Jun, went back to their daily routine.

"She'll be fine. She can take on a Sea King, so she can take on a bit of water." Jun clapped a meaty hand on Vito's considerably smaller shoulder before plodding doggedly up the steps.

Vito scowled, left alone in the room. These Pirates... there was something off about them. Being able to dismiss something like that so casually? It wasn't normal. He'd thought in the beginning that he'd gotten a few on his side, but a few words from _Killer _and all of them, even Jun, change their minds immediately. He hated it, and there was nothing he could do about it. Yet.

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Seregunda: Hope everyone liked the update! If you did, say it. If you didn't, say it. If you got a question, ask it! Anything and everything said will be used to improve my writing. Oh yeah, and the song used in this chapter is Burning Love by Elvis Presley. As if you didn't know!:L


	16. The impatience regarding delays

Seregunda: Thanks everyone who reviewed my last chapter (Moonlight Calls, Triva, sucker4villains, ImmortalRoseOfTheThorns, Kesshin15, Jen567 and santa clause is a stalker, and especially Youz who took the time to review so many of the chappies.) Seriously don't know how I'd go on without you guys! Thanks for those who've voted on the poll too, so far Kidd's in the lead so anyone who wanted anyone else to be in the running might want to put in a vote! Especially since I'm closing the poll sometime this week.

And for Jen567, you're right Kishi did _refer_ to Law before when she was telling Kidd who else he should look out for. But it was just something someone could read on any bounty poster or hear in any bar. She never actually met the man face to face, just heard about him through stories and rumours. Hope this helped!^-^

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over their world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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_*Three months later*_

"There's no need to leave." Law stated blandly, crossing his arms behind his head comfortably as he watched the fisherwoman that had taken up residence on his submarine for the past three months pack up what little she had taken on board with her.

"Thanks for your hospitality, but sailing _under _the water just isn't for me. I'd prefer to get _Nina _from Rayleigh today and shove off." Kishi smiled apologetically at the laid-back doctor, who shrugged as if to say 'your loss'. Two more seconds of watching the fisherwoman struggle with lifting a heavy box later, Law muttered 'room' under his breath and watched smugly as any remaining hidden items flew into the box which followed suit and flew up onto the deck of the sub.

"You're a true gentleman." Kishi chuckled behind her hand as a dark look flickered behind the captain's eyes subtlety. Not even the most relaxed pirate in the history of pirates would enjoy being called a 'gentleman'.

"If that's what you call someone who picks up strays." Law smirked, holding out a light logbook that had escaped his notice while using his powers.

Kishi slipped the small book into her pocket as the two walked out of the women's quarters (storage closet) that had become her home during her stay.

As Kishi walked out the door that led to the upper deck, a large bubble drifted straight into her face. It popped, covering herself and her clothes in small droplets of water.

"That was stupid." Bepo informed the fisherwoman, as if she needed to know.

"I am aware, Bepo." Kishi clenched her teeth, reminding herself that the bear's adorable fluffiness and general huggable aura should make up for his personality. Sadly this hadn't worked _every _time the bear had annoyed her over the past three months, but she'd done a better job than most of the crew except Law, who seemed to find Bepo's antics amusing.

Blinking the soapy water from her eyes blearily, Kishi looked up at the giant mangrove tree above her with the number twenty four engraved into it's bark. Sadly, where Law had decided to anchor the submarine was out of the grove's influence and the bubbles were popping just as they drifted out of range. Which explained why the normally invincible bubbles had popped in Kishi's face.

"Saboady Archipelago, it's been a while." Kishi smirked in a fashion that was so similar to Law's own it was uncanny, and stepped off onto the grove as the Heart Pirates organised themselves.

Before finding Rayleigh, she'd be better off... procuring her remaining belongings from the familiar overly Gothic ship that had docked in grove two earlier.

As she plodded diligently across the groves, Kishi took notice of every ship worth noticing on the way. And, just as Kishi stepped onto grove two she had counted seven ships worth her time. The Hawkins Pirates, Drake Pirates, On Air Pirates, Bonney Pirates, Firetank Pirates and the Fallen Monk Pirates. And of course that was completely disregarding the Heart Pirates, Strawhats and Kidd Pirates.

"All eleven supernovas are here at the same time? This is gonna be interesting." Kishi chuckled. This sort of thing only happened once every four or five years on the Grand Line, such a gathering of strong pirates that is. It's sure to end in at least a fist fight, and at worst a couple of deaths by the end of it. Because something told her despite the huge differences in bounties among the supernovas, a lot of it was to do with their involvement against marines directly.

Some of the pirates here, with bounties lower than Kidd's, were undoubtedly stronger than him in Kishi's mind. Which, considering the red-head's strength, was a scary thought.

Kishi stepped up onto the deck of the Kidd Pirates' ship, a slight frown marring her features as she scanned the deck for any sign of activity. There was none.

A familiar bristly sensation rubbed off her legs once, twice before Kishi glanced down only to feel her heart nearly break.

"Taiga, have they been feeding you at all? Don't worry baby, I'll give you a nice thick cutlet of tuna the second we get to Rayleigh's." Kishi crooned, cuddling a now-skinny ginger cat with only one eye to her chest. For once, it looked a little less grumpy than it usually did.

"Now, let's see if they left all my stuff alone. I doubt it, but it's worth a try." Kishi nuzzled the cat once more and almost automatically marched below deck to the room herself and Vito had spent their stay in.

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Tohru's eyes narrowed from above in the crow's nest as he watched an all-too-familiar person he had _thought _was dead waltz carelessly onto their ship. He had been about to strike her down from above, thinking the crew wouldn't know she was ever there, but once the fisherwoman had picked up the cat he knew better. The feline glared up at the crow's nest the second he was in his master's arms. She might be useless but if the cat had survived Kidd's wrath alone for three months there was something weird about it.

So instead, the ship's doctor passively watched the fisherwoman move below deck, probably trying to find all her old belongings. Which were surprisingly untouched, the merman had begun screeching and the cat hissing every time someone tried to enter so the crew had made it a habit to avoid it. Whatever she had wasn't worth the trouble.

When Kishi emerged the first time, she had been dragging a large sack of black twisted-looking candles behind her. The second time had been a slightly smaller bag of scales and the odd organ from Sea Kings that she had left preserved remarkably well. The final trip the fisherwoman had made had been for personal belongings.

All this had taken place over two hours, and Tohru watched the fisherwoman's every move through half-lidded eyes.

Just as Tohru had been about to swing his leg over the edge of the crow's nest and jump down onto the deck the fisherwoman returned once more. Retracting his leg slowly, Tohru watched boredly, wondering what could she possibly have left on the ship this time.

And he was infinitely ticked off when the fisherwoman tore up a loose floorboard on the deck for whatever reason he couldn't fathom. Genuinely wondering whether he should go down just to get rid of her now, he watched as she pulled a harpoon, discus and well-used gutting knife from the small hole before hammering the board down again.

Why those were there in the first place, Tohru would never know.

Kishi then proceeded to walk down the gangplank, and away from Tohru. He wasn't complaining, until a loud, obnoxious and incredibly familiar voice could be heard shouting from behind a tavern. The fisherwoman paused mid-step and the cat following practically glued itself to her heels and started hissing and spitting.

Highly amused now, Tohru jumped nimbly from his perch to land with catlike grace behind the fisherwoman. His descent had been soundless.

"This is going to be interesting." He mumured down into Kishi's ear, who shrieked in fright and jerked away so hard the back of her head hit off his chin.

"O-ow." Kishi grunted, rubbing the back of her head soothingly. She turned around and completely ignored the fact that her attacker wasn't even phased.

"How long have you _been_ _there_?" Kishi cried out, jabbing the ship's doctor in the chest accusingly before withering away at the glare he shot at her. Kishi took two steps away from the man, coughed apologetically into her fist, and repeated her question.

"Since you first stepped on board." Tohru answered shortly, and it took Kishi a few moments to realise that the doctor wasn't looking _at _her. No, he was looking at something behind her...

Kishi dismissed the fact that she never got an answer to her question and turned slowly to see exactly why the noise that had been building up behind her had suddenly dropped to hushed whispers.

And, as expected, there was the Kidd Pirates in all their bloody glory. They looked smashed, bashed and beaten to a pulp. Killer, sporting numerous minor cuts, bruises and scrapes was probably the best off. He was supporting Kidd who was leaning heavily on him, it looked as if his right leg had taken a pretty serious hit.

Nobody seemed to be on the verge of dying, but in the quick glance Kishi spared before the crew burst into an uproar she could tell the captain himself was the worst off.

"We thought you were dead!" an almost sobbing Jun reached over and ruffled the fisherwoman's hair before pulling her into a tight hug that crushed nearly all the air out of her lungs. Kishi bemusedly rubbed the chef's back before he let go, hiccupping quietly but with a beaming grin on his face.

"I told you she would be here if she was alive." Killer reprimanded the larger man like you would a child, but the chef paid him no mind. The rest of the crew, more concerned with their own well being, shuffled past the fisherwoman with a few incomprehensible words and murmurings thrown in her direction.

Clearly Tohru's treatment was a higher priority for them.

"I found her, Keimi I mean." Vito popped up grinning broadly into Kishi's face. The fisherwoman had to suppress a gasp, during the time she had been gone, the merman had acquired more scars to match the one already running from his collarbone down his left arm. A slash across the forehead, a nick under the ear, faint scar tissue on his tail fin, and a weird star-shaped one nearly engraved into his stomach. While these imperfections would usually serve to impair a normal person's aesthetic appearance, it made Vito seem less delicate more rugged. His already beautiful features highlighted even further in stark contrast to the wounds.

"That's great... where is she now?" Kishi ventured and watched as a dark look flickered across the merman's features and remained there.

"With a fishman called Hatchin." the scowl dissuaded Kishi from pressing any further, along with the fact that Killer and Kidd had limped close enough to her to start a conversation she doubted she was going to enjoy very much.

About two yards from her person, Kishi heard Kidd mutter something weakly in Killer's ear who nodded briefly. Kishi watched in mild bewilderment as Killer took a few steps away from his captain, who looked dead on his feet and was swaying dangerously.

Kishi, not daring to say anything, watched stricken as Kidd dragged himself towards her at a snails pace. His left leg was being dragged in the dirt behind him and was bleeding prfusely, but she doubted the captain cared. He seemed pretty determined to reprimand her about something, Kishi remembered the 'pissed-off Kidd' expression well. The space between his eybrows furrowed, his eyes narrowed and his shoulders stiffened. All of which he was sporting now.

Kidd staggered to a stop, his face a mere inch from Kishi's own when he opened his mouth. Words never got the chance to come out. Kishi watched in morbid fascination (and a twinge of panic) as Kidd's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he dropped ungracefully forwards, his forehead colliding with Kishi's shoulder with a resounding crack and causing the two of them to tumble to the floor.

"K-Killer, gimme a h-hand?" Kishi choked out, her gut being crushed by the captain's dead weight. She was pinned between the captain and the deck with Killer watching her struggle to move the man's bulk in what seemed to be amusement.

"You already have two." he answered simply, stating what he thought was obvious.

"Please-get-your-captain-off-me!" Kishi wheezed out in one breath, probably the last she had, when Killer hooked an arm around his captain's waist and hoisted him over his shoulder as if it were nothing. Which it probably was to the Massacre Man.

"I'll get him to Tohru." Killer sighed with a slightly degrading shake of his head. Kishi scowled deeply.

"I _never said _I was strong enough to lift Mr. Muscles there, what are you so disappointed for?" the fisherwoman grumbled, knowing the first mate could hear her and that he'd ignore whatever she said.

Standing up again, Kishi rubbed her stomach gingerly before bending down to pick up her dropped hunting tools. Strapped on securely, Kishi turned to leave in the commotion before the calculatingly calm voice of Killer cut through her mind.

"Kidd didn't tell me what he wanted with you, but he definitely wanted something. Staying here would make it easier on yourself for when he sends us to get you again."

Kishi groaned, knowing the truth when she heard it and glanced down at her cat lovingly.

"At least I found _you _again Taiga. Don't worry, let's go check if Jun has anything in his cupboards." the one-eyed cat's eyes flicked up to meet his doting master's for the first time in three months. And for the first time ever, the cat really believed it was three months too long.

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"It's been _two fucking days_! How long does he need to just wake up?" Kishi groaned, allowing her chin to hit the bedside table with a dull _*thunk*._

The cat sitting at her feet opened one eye and glared at her before closing it again and resuming his nap.

Kishi was sitting in the medical wing, as she had been doing for the past two days, waiting for the red-head on the bed beside her to wake up. His face had regained a bit of colour since, and Tohru said the captain really should have woken up the day before but it was no matter.

Jun and Vito (Kishi still had no idea why he was _here _when he knew where Keimi was) often popped down when they had nothing to do. Which in Vito's case was very often and Jun's case very little. Killer had his hands full not only running the ship to the extent he usually did, but also including Kidd's responsibilities so he hadn't stepped foot down there since depositing the captain on the bed in the first place.

The crew hadn't hesitated to tell her exactly what had happened. Well, probably not exactly. In their words, they had taken on a 'Pacifista' to save the Heart Pirates. The details were sketchy so she doubted that was the truth, especially when good old honest Jun nearly had a heart attack when she asked him if it _was _true. Anyway the Pacifista had shot a beam at Kidd's leg and had hit pretty badly and everyone else got pretty banged up too.

"...o...way." Kidd grunted out, and Kishi's eyes widened in interest. This had happened once yesterday when Tohru was in the room, Kidd had started mumbling nonsense in his sleep. Kishi had been especially surprised that he responded (to an extent) when she spoke to him. Then Tohru had given his input and killed any form of entertainment Kishi might have had by telling her to stop pestering his patients or he'd scalp her. Not putting it past him, Kishi had clammed up immediately then. But now... no Tohru in sight.

"What was that Kidd? I couldn't hear you." Kishi grinned wickedly and leaned in close to hear the captain's answer.

"...noying... go away." he grumbled and turned on his side to face the wall. Kishi could feel a vein ticking in her forehead, she'd thought he'd have something more interesting to say considering he'd probably say something pretty similar to her when he woke up anyway.

"You don't _really _think that, do you?" Kishi asked, nearly in the captain's ear. She wasn't trying to start anything, just genuinely curious.

Kidd's brow furrowed and he grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath. Kishi frowned and sat back in her chair again. What was the point in listening to a sleep-talker if their diction was so bad you couldn't understand a word they say?

"..fish...stupid..ike..." Kidd yawned, a little louder. Kishi, not really able to help herself, decided to lean in and try again.

"Hm? What stupid fish Mr. Kidd?" Kishi swapped from the conversational tone she had been using earlier to the voice she had used many times to nag candy off Ishida when she had been younger. Sugary, sweet and a little nerve-wracking for the recipient. She wasn't even going to try figure out what an 'ike' was.

"Ngh.. they flew." the captain replied sleepily, a lot clearer than before. Kishi almost laughed out loud, but restrained herself using more self control than she knew she had. Where the hell would Kidd come up with flying fish from? Unless... Kishi felt her grin dropping at the thought of just who that could be.

"Duval?" curiosity had gotten the best of her tone which changed from sugary-sweet to conversational again. Which of course elicited no response from the captain.

Dropping the subject due to obvious lack of interest on both sides, Kishi ran her fingers through the captain's hair thoughtfully. In truth, she'd wanted to touch it for a while and it was as thick and coarse as she had expected it to be. Now that he was in bed with his trademark goggles removed, his hair stuck out in tufts and some bangs fell down to frame his cheeks. No wonder the captain wore it up, with his hair down he was nearly as unfrightening as they came. Childish, innocent and naive would be the words used to describe the captain if somebody who'd never heard of him before saw him now.

"Pfft." and odd hissing noise escaped through Kidd's teeth when Kishi grazed his ear with her hand by accident. Not paying him any mind, Kishi continued her ministrations while going off into her own head trying to plan what she'd bring to the new world when she got on _Nina_. She always did have to plan a bit more when she went on that side.

"Oi, leave me alone." a harsh voice grunted and Kishi felt her hand freeze before she glanced down. Below her, a pair of steely eyes glared up as if daring her to leave her hand where it was.

"Ah, you're awake. It's been two days." Kishi supplied, already knowing the first question the captain was going to ask. She removed her hand from his hair.

Kidd didn't respond, only glared silently at the fisherwoman above him.

"Is there a problem Mr. Kidd?" Kishi asked lightly, knowing full-well she was in for a bitch-session without knowing why.

"Why _yes _actually I _do _have a problem. It's tall, purple and an absolute _bitch_!" Kidd snapped back loudly, wincing at the volume of his own voice.

"Ah don't worry. I'll leave as soon as you tell me what you wanted, Killer's convinced you wanted something and won't let me leave until you tell me what." Kishi shrugged, completely unperturbed by the threat. No captain was going to seem threatening in bed with his leg bandaged up.

"W-what?" Kidd seemed confused now, and scrunched his nose in thought.

"Before you passed you told him to let go of you and you started staggering towards me..." she prompted, really wanting nothing more than to get off the ship as quickly as possible. Who knew how many of her belongings she'd already stored on _Nina _had been pawed through already?

Kidd clearly didn't remember this, and stared back at the fisherwoman with a blank look on his face.

"Never mind. I'll just tell Killer it wasn't important and leave." Kishi stood up impatiently and nudged Taiga awake with her foot before turning to leave.

"Oi, don't you _dare _leave until I remember!" Kidd snarled from his position on the bed, Kishi rolled her eyes before turning around again and sitting back down on the stool. A disgruntled Taiga hissed at the as-good-as-paralysed captain before settling onto the foot of Kidd's bed with a warning glare up at the red-head. Which was, of course, completely ignored.

"It obviously wasn't all that important if you've forgotten it." Kishi sing-songed at the captain, who was getting more and more annoyed by his inability to remember what had been going through his own head.

"It obviously _was _important if I was going to tell _you _before getting fixed up!" Kidd snarled back, and Kishi accepted the valid point graciously and quieted down for...

5...

4...

3...

2...

1-

"Are you _really _sure it was all that important?" Kishi sighed exasperatedly, clapping a hand to her forehead with a groan as the captain's face immediately lit up in revelation. Kidd pushed himself up with trembling arms so he was slouched smugly against the pillows.

"Heh, pretty sure." his nose was in the air and he was sneering at the fisherwoman. Whose curiosity had now been ignited.

"So, what was it?" Kishi asked directly, moving closer when Kidd motioned for her to do so.

"I found the fang we thought Killer threw out!" the beaming grin sent her way by the supposedly most-dangerous supernova completely disarmed the fisherwoman.

"So you actually _did _get four hundred and three fangs. Only eighty three left to go now." honestly, just the fact that Kidd had remembered the general idea of her dream was more than she expected. The fact he remembered the exact figures stunned her beyond belief. Kami knows nobody else ever did.

"How?" Kishi asked dumbly, not even caring she was only adding more fuel to the already-huge ego of the captain. A simple smirk was her answer, but Kishi didn't care all that much about his response.

"Thanks, Mr. Kidd." Kishi smiled softly and wrapped her bronzed arms around the captain's thick, pale neck. No response at all proved how much her actions had shocked the red-head, who stiffened beyond belief and his eyes widened in surprise.

By the time she had pulled away, Kidd had reschooled his face into it's normal arrogant mask and sneered when his eyes met hers again.

Killer had watched this exchange from the doorway, and had not missed the change in his captain's expression as the fisherwoman had. Then fact that Kidd was even letting her live after invading his personal space to that extent was a remarkable feat. But this... this was dangerous. And it was something Killer felt he'd have to keep an eye on personally.

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Seregunda: So sorry for such a late update, laziness is the ultimate curse of any writer! Hope it was worth the wait though, thanks so much for putting up with me and my updating issues!^-^

P.S, reviews attract plot bunnies!:L


	17. Just a few more candles

Seregunda: Thanks everyone who reviewed my last chapter (littlelostsecert, Youz, nothing new in this world, Moonlight Calls, Jen567, sucker4villains, Psychotic Tendency and ichigo1508) I love you all!=3 And by the way, I would be really thankful to anyone wo could get the weather to _cooperate _and give me a day off soon like every other school in the country coz of the ice!T-T

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over their world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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As Kishileft the medical wing, she passed by Killer with a nod in his direction and curiously cone-shaped bag thrown over her shoulder. The ginger cat glared up at him, trotting obediently behind his master.

"You heard the captain out?" Killer asked, knowing the answer but not to what extent.

"Yup, he fell asleep again afterwards so I'll be on my way now. Watch out for those Pacifistas though, I passed by some on a few of my trips around the groves a few days ago." Kishi warned light-heartedly, knowing Killer would take every precaution to do so. The captain might be delusional, but the first mate was perfectly aware of what their crew was and wasn't capable of yet. And they weren't capable of taking down a Pacifista alone... yet.

"He gave you permission to leave?" Killer asked, just as Kishi's foot was about to hit the gangplank.

"He didn't tell me not to." she answered truthfully, allowing her foot to fall onto the wooden plank determinedly. Killer, seeing no reason to object, watched the fisherwomanwalk away through the cracks in his mask. He knew Kidd wouldn't be happy that she was allowed to just walk away, Kidd wasn't happy with much of anything, but this would probably piss him off more than a lot of other things Killer had done.

If it was a choice between a pissed-off Kidd (who would fight even better than normal), or a Kidd that Killer and the rest of the crew wouldn't recognise... it would be the pissed-off Kidd they'd choose. Every time.

"_This one's about anyone who does it differently_  
_This one's about the one who cusses and spits_  
_This ain't about our livin' in a fantasy_  
_This ain't about givin' up or givin' in_"

Kishi sang softly and Taiga, who had missed the sound the sound of his master's voice, wound through her legs as she walked to Shakky's Rip-off Bar.

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah_"

Kishi adjusted the leather strap that held her hunting gear to her back as she rounded a corner, being distracted she didn't notice the fuss in the town square as she passed.

"_We weren't born to follow_  
_Come on and get up off your knees_  
_When life is a bitter pill to swallow_  
_You gotta hold on to what you believe_"

Kishi crossed the bridge onto grove 13 and kept walking confidently past the bounty hunters and pirates in the area (who glanced up at her, recognised her as a friend of Rayleigh's, and glanced down again) towards a grubby bar only slightly better-off than the buildings around it. "Shakky's Rip-off Bar" was engraved into a driftwood sign nailed above the door.

"_Believe that the sun will shine tomorrow_  
_And that your saints and sinners bleed_  
_We weren't born to follow_  
_You gotta stand up for what you believe_"

"Hsssshhaaa!" Taiga hissed as a rat ran across their path, a little too big and too close for his liking. It scarpered behind a barrel immediately, and the cat (whose ego swelled to ten times it's normal size) stalked after it diligently.

_"Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah_  
_Let me hear you say yeah, yeah, yeah, oh yeah~"_

Kishi's singing softened down to a low hum as she pushed the door open easily only to walk into the sombre atmosphere of the bar. Rayleigh was nowhere to be seen, that was the first thing Kishi noticed, but Shakky was standing behind the counter of the bar. Her hands were clenching and unclenching as she listened to something a den-den mushi was spouting through a reasonably bad connection.

The older woman hadn't even noticed the purple-haired girl's appearance.

"Yo Shakky, you know where Rayleigh is?" Kishi asked conversationally, pulling up a stool as the ex-pirate snapped to attention and fixed her jet-black eyes on the fisherwoman.

"Watching an old friend die." Shakkyinhaled a deep puff of a cigarette she had procured from her pocket, and rested her shaking hands on the counter, not quite sure what to do with herself but not overly affected by whatever was going on either.

"W-what are you on about?... Shakky?" Kishi leaned forward urgently, anxiety etched into her features. Most people old Rayleigh knew, Kishi knew.

A thin trail of smoke crept out of the corner of the bartender's mouth as she watched the fisherwoman from the corner of her eye.

"That friend of yours, Ace? Got himself caught by marines. Whitebeard just died trying to save him." Shakky's voice, although unfeeling, cut through Kishi's being better than any sword could have.

"Y-you're joking, right? The old man's the strongest in the world! Nobody can kill him, right?" Kishi panicked, her hand knocking over a glass which elicited a warning glare from the cheap bartender.

"I have no reason to joke. I've been listening to a hacked den-den mushi, so I've got more reliable information than those watching from the square." another puff was taken of from the nearly-extinguished cigarette. Kishiwatched with wide eyes as the ashes fell into the ash tray below Shakky.

"I... I walked right past it! The square, I-I thought there was more people there than usual but I just, I just didn't think! How... grah!" Kishilet out a sound that would be connected more easily witha rabid dog than with a human being. Kishithrew the stool out from under her and sprinted through the door just as Taiga padded into the bar with a fat rat clenched between his fangs.

"You really don't care about what's happening, huh?" Shakky mused to the cat, rolling the cigarette expertly between her fingers.

"Mrowr."

"Of course you don't."

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The air caught in Kishi's chest and burned, but she didn't show any signs of slowing until she arrived at the square just in time to see a large overhead screen flicker dead. That image was all she needed to see, Whitebeard's body had been lying on the earth, covered in deep gashes and oozing blood. A sight nobody in the world had ever believed they would see.

"I wondered how you would react." a calm, detached voice quipped from her left, and Kishi glanced up to see a familiar blue and white mask covering the Massacre Man's face. For once, Kishi scowled at him.

"None of you're business." she snarled, staring up at the disconnected screen in dismay, hoping in vain it would be turned back on. Killer didn't even bother answer her.

Kishi stared imploringly at the screen for another five seconds before letting out a deep sigh. There was no way that was going to be turned back on any time soon. Kishi scanned the crowd. All of the Kidd Pirates were present, even the captain who had healed remarkably well from his injury.

Kidd, who had been listening to the fisherwoman and first mate exchange words, put his own two cents into the conversation but loud enough for everyone within a ten metre radius to hear.

"'You know on the path we've been traveling up until now... Saying a thing like that would just get you laughed at. Although... I slaughtered anyone and everyone who had the nerve to laugh at me...! But from here on out... we're gonna be sailing the sea where anyone without the nerve to say something like that is as good as dead...!' I said that to that nutcase, StrawhatI mean, when he said he was going to be the one to find One Piece." Kidd breathed out with a smirk, obviously recalling past events. Kishistared blankly at the captain, wondering where he could possibly be going with this one.

Not exactly encouraged by her response, Kidd ploughed on anyway.

"He didn't even give a shit. Maybe he didn't understand what I was saying or something, but at the time he seemed stubborn enough." Kidd commented again haphazardly, and despite everything Kishifelt a smile tug on the corner of her mouth.

"Ah~, I guess at the very least the best man for the job is on the scene. Some consolation though." Kishi puffed, considerably calmer. This seemed to have the opposite effect on the flame-haired captain though.

"Second-best man you mean." he grumbled, not even trying to correct the girl who had once again taken to glaring sullenly at the blank screen.

"Of course." Kishireplied witha wry smile and didn't even turn to look at him. The corner's of Kidd's mouth tilted downwards even further.

"Show's over, get moving!" Kidd called out, just loud enough for the crew to hear. The already-bored members agreed immediately and began lumbering away towards the dock.

Kishiheard the dull thud of Kidd's boots move away along with the softer padding of Killer's own before they swayed, stopped, and turned around completely and the boots thudded towards her again to stop only a yard from her own.

"Hm~?" Kishi hummed, eyes still trained on the screen.

"I believe I said, _get moving_." he ordered bossily, prodding her collarbone authoritatively with a smirk evident on his face. This grabbed the fisherwoman's attention, who finally tore her eyes away from the disconnected screen to look into the captain's angular, smug face.

"I'm guessing Killer didn't inform you of the situation then?" Kishi asked quietly, watching as Kidd's porcelaine face screwed up in confusion as he glanced over his shoulder at the retreating form of his first mate.

"What?" Kidd asked, semi-stupidly. Now that he'd been thrown off, the bossiness had decreased and he was staring blankly at the fisherwomanwho stood only inches beneath him.

"I suppose he assumed you remembered... but we're on Saboady now Mr. Kidd." Kishi stated, as if to a particularly slow child. The captain scowled deeply.

"I'm not stupid, I _know_ that!" he spat in annoyance.

"Good, we understand each other then. _Nina _is ready and operational, I'll be leaving for the New World in her." Kishiinformed the now-rapidly-blinking captain who seemed a little out of his depth.

"Oh." he sounded out, but still didn't move. Kishi felt as if she could practically hear the gears turning in his head.

"I already moved all my old stuff out, so there's no need for me to return with you. Thank you again for the hospitality you've shown me." Kishi bowed stiffly, still not quite sure of what was going through Kidd's head and hoping that whatever it was wasn't dangerous.

"The merman will be disappointed." Kidd smirked, finally meeting Kishi's eyes again. The purple-haired girl quirked a brow curiously.

"I thought he found his sister? He's not leaving?" Kishi asked, remembering well how much Vito had hated being on that ship.

"Hn. We thought something was up after you left, he went on a training frenzy with Jun coaching him. Not that the chef's a much better fighter but, eventually he became half-way decent. Dunno why, but something got to him after finding his sister and he wants to stay." Kidd shrugged easily and turned to walk away, knowing fully well just how effectively he had distracted Kishi from her depression.

"So that's where he got those scars... Wonder what's up with Keimi?" Kishi mused aloud, causing Kidd to click his tongue impatiently.

"She went off with some octopus fishman." he supplied, trying to get over this bump in the conversation so his point would come across.

"Ma~, that's good. I was worried about leaving him there before 'cause he's so girly, least I don't have to worry about that anymore." Kishi shrugged and scratched the back of her head, before turning her head rapidly to take in every shop in the vicinity before frowning deeply.

"No, he's still a pain in the ass that we all hate and wanna get rid of. Either take him with you, or come with us and distract him." Kidd said snootily, as if he'd won a round.

"Wouldn't it be easier for you to kill him?" Kishigroaned, still not paying attention and scanning every shop diligently with her eyes.

"You _want _me to?" Kidd asked disbelievingly, knowing the answer before she even replied.

"No, just asking." Kishi's brow furrowed deeper.

"Can't anyway, every time I tried he jumped overboard."

"Really."

"Killer wouldn't go after him because _he _said it was a_ waste of time_."

"I can only imagine."

"Tohru wouldn't because of 'medical interest' or shit. A tail doesn't make the guy special."

"Too true."

"Your demon-cat tried, but the merman wouldn't fit in it's mouth."

"Power to the people."

"An- what the fuck, that doesn't even make sense!"

"Do you know where I can find black candles?"

"YOU WEREN'T EVEN LISTENING!" Kidd screeched, pointing at Kishi accusingly until he saw the distressed look on her face and toned it down a bit.

"It's really important, and I'm sorry I promise I'll listen later but I need to find those candles!" finally, the fisherwoman'seyes connected with the captain's. Kidd saw the surface of her eyes glistening, and threatening to spill over. Naturally, as any man in tune with only two emotions (anger and annoyance) would, Kidd panicked. Not visibly though.

"How the fuck should I know?" Kidd grumbled, and scratched the back of his head as Kishi scampered off in the opposite direction frantically. Dealing with her was draining.

Just as Kidd turned to stomp back to the ship and tell Killer exactly what he thought of his messenger capabilities, he had an epiphany. With a leer etched into his features, Kidd walked right past his own ship without even noticing the questioning look thrown his way by his first mate. His plan for later was already occupying the majority of his mind.

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Kishi sighed heavily as she entered _Nina_, practically a replica of _Pinta _from shelf to mooring. Taiga had obviously found his way back and was below deck in the living quarters, because she could hear his hissing and spitting from even above the hatch.

"Taiga, if you leave the rat alone it'llleave by itself if you just stay in the kitchen." Kishi called down, rattling the plastic bags as she stepped down the ladder in a downtrodden fashion.

"Rats are pretty easy to get rid of." a deep voice sounded out, obviously highly amused when the bag slipped from the fisherwoman's grasp and two black candles, one with the name _Edward Newgate _and one with _Portgas D. Ace _printed down the side, rolled across the floor slowly.

"Mr. Kidd, please don't do this." Kishi begged, her eyes wide and pleading at the captain before her whose smirk was wider than any cheshire cat.

The flame-haired captain was sitting on a large chunk of vibrating metal that had been ripped from the underside of the ship and obviously dragged into the living quarters. Eustass 'Captain' Kidd was sitting on the last engine of it's kind in the world.

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Seregunda: Alright, I know it's a _little _shorter than what I usually write but it was a choice between a little shorter or insanely longer. You can see which one I chose!=3 Anyway, the song used in this chapter is by my (probably) favourite band in existence, Bon Jovi and called We Weren't Born to Follow. Hope you enjoyed this update, and remember... reviews attract plot bunnies!XD


	18. Purpose lost and found and lost again

Seregunda: Thanks everyone who reviewed my last chapter (Jen567, sucker4villains, Psychotic Tendency, Maioke, Kesshin15, Youz, littlelostsecert, Doubleblade Miriko, bats, TrunksgirlBlaze27 and whitewhite) I love you all!=3

For Psychotic Tendency, nah the colour doesn't really mean all that much with the candles. They're just the type that Kishi decided to use in the memorials, so like the stubborn pain-in-the-ass she is, only black ones'll do.

And for sucker4villains, that song has actually popped into my head for the same thing. I was gonna use it in the last chappiebut then I was like "that has nothing to do with what I just wrote" so when the most appropriate chapter pops up, that song's stright in!XD

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over their world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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_"Mr. Kidd, please don't do this." Kishi begged, her eyes wide and pleading at the captain before her whose smirk was wider than any Cheshire cat._

_The flame-haired captain was sitting on a large chunk of vibrating metal that had been ripped from the underside of the ship and obviously dragged into the living quarters. Eustass 'Captain' Kidd was sitting on the last engine of it's kind in the world._

"Or what?" he taunted easing a screw slowly out of the machine using his devil fruit abilities. Kishi could only watch helplessly as the captain slowly dissembled the engine. She struggled to come up with an answer for him, and succeeded only in opening and closing her mouth like a fish.

"Well, you can't hurt me. With Whitebearddead, your biggest threat to me is gone. Any of your other strong allies are busy grieving, or too far away to even know what happened. I could do anything, and you couldn't stop me no matter how hard you tried." the screw fell to the floor with an audible _*clink*_ and the captain started on another one.

"I-I... please, j-ju... just stop!" Kishi choked out pleadingly, no matter what was done to her, what was said to her, she couldn't stand by and watch the man before her purposefully destroy the only remaining ship of her family's.

"I don't think I want to." Kidd smirked, leaning on his elbow now as another screw clattered to the floor.

"Whatever you want, I promise, I'll give it to you!" Kishibegged, finally sinking to the floor in relief when the screw Kidd had been working on froze and the captain locked gazes with her, smiling widely. Well, more like baring his teeth at her.

"Promise?" Kidd taunted, and the screw twisted once, twice, three times before-

"Yes, yes, I promise! Please, just don't damage it any further." she pleaded and Kidd complied, sliding off the engine and halting his ministrations on the screw.

"Then... always do what I want." Kidd ordered, with an arrogant toss of his head. Kishi, who had been gazing at the engine in relief, snapped her eyes up to meet his incredulously.

"That's it? I'm sorry to inform you, Mr. Kidd, that you would have been capable of forcing that without blackmail." the fisherwoman sighed, fishing a screwdriver out of a cabinet and tediously returning the screws to their former places.

"What?" Kidd asked, not really understanding the situation. Normally, by now, people would be panicking and begging him not to violate them. The fisherwomanwas happy withthe fact that he stopped demolishing her ship, and now she'd started lecturing him on how to best get his own way. Something was wrong with this picture...

"Your strength, Mr. Kidd." Kishi stated, but the blank look remained plastered across the captain's face.

"You said yourself, any and all allies are too far away to help me now. On my own, I'm not that strong. It would be easy for you to do or say anything, but you chose blackmail." Kidd's ears burned, a little from embarrassment but more from anger as he heard the quiet giggle seep into the fisherwoman's voice at the end of the sentence.

"That's not that effective though. You could escape, and I'd have nothing over you. And this way I get to see you _really _squirm." Kidd purred, taking three long strides until he was directly behind Kishi who was still bent over tightening the screws and ensuring nothing else was loose.

"You're improving your knowledge of how the Grand Line works impressively, Captain." Kishi replied, more amused than threatened, as she turned around and straightened up. Although she did blink once or twice at the flame-haired captain's close proximity after finishing her task, she showed no discomfort whatsoever that he had gotten so close to her without her noticing. Not exactly the reaction Kidd had been going for.

"So are you going to hang over me all day, or help me move my things back onto your ship?" Kishi asked, hands on hips, as she took one small step closer to the captain, enough for their torsos to brush, before he took another step away, scowling heavily.

"Fine, but don't expect me t-GET THE HELL OFF!" Kidd cut himself off halfway through his sentence for a large, ginger one-eyed reason. That had flown out from under the dinner table and latched onto the captain's foot, all fangs and claws, while the captain cursed the cat with his considerably vulgar vocabulary. Eventually, Kidd kicked the cat against the wall only for Taiga to land on all four paws and resume the hissing and spitting that Kishi had earlier believed had been at a rat.

"What the fuck is _wrong _with that cat?" Kidd howled, looking ready to slaughter thousands of people if he only could get the cat in the process.

"He loves his home." Kishianswered simply, not even bothering to reprimand the feline as it had just done something she wanted to do, but she opened a dresser and pulled out a small plastic box with a cross on it.

"What's 'at?" Kidd grumbled, his curiosity placating his annoyance briefly.

"Put this on your leg, I don't want blood on the floor." Kishi tossed a roll of bandage at the captain's head, who caught it easily and scowled as he glanced down at where the cat had latched itself onto his foot. A steady trickle of blood was oozing out of a row of perfectly shaped scratches, enough to annoy him but nothing serious.

"Oi, you just agreed to do anything! You do it!" Kidd jeered childishly, rolling up the hem of his pants to reveal the light scratches and held out the bandages to the fisherwoman.

Kishi shot a single look at Kidd, that almost made even the ridiculously competitive captain blanch. It was the infamous 'act your age, you're embarrassing yourself' look. If glares and crocodile tears wouldn't work on the red-head, try something new. Almost worked. Key word: almost.

"Well?" Kidd taunted, one barely-visible eyebrow rising above the other.

Kishiunrolled the bandages with a tolerating sigh, and kneeled down at Kidd's feet taking one end of the bandage in her hands and the other gripped tightly between her teeth.

Ignoring the smug look on the captain's face, Kishi touched his calf with a feather-light touch and gently wound the bandage around his leg once before being interrupted.

"Oi, stop that." Kidd hissed lowly. Surprised, Kishi stopped mid-movement and gazed up at the captain curiously.

"Deal with it a moment please, I'm working as gently as I can." Kishi informed him, overly polite in case she snapped at him. Oddly enough, this did nothing to change Kidd's facial expression whose already-pale skin turned snow white.

Disregarding what she believed was nothing, Kishi resumed her work, her fingers barely skimming the surface of his skin now as she focused only on the task at hand.

"A-alright, let _go_." Kidd snapped firmly, retracting his leg as soon as Kishi had tied a knot at the bandage. Knowing something was wrong now, Kishi looked up at the slightly-pink face of the captain who was shifting sheepishly from one foot to the other.

"You were the one who asked me to wrap it up." the fisherwoman reminded Kidd chastisingly, who glowered and turned away immediately. Kishicaught the clenching of his fists from the corner of her eye and clammed up. A moody captain was not worth the sure decapitation that would follow it.

"Sh'up." he mumbled, not making eye contact. Kishi dropped it, but her gaze remained confused and glued to the captain's hulking form who looked to be edging towards the ladder.

It was killing him. Kidd's face was burning, it wasn't so much the _touching _that brought on the embarrassment (although that played a part) it was the angle at which the fisherwoman was sitting. On her knees, directly in front of him. Not a place Kidd _ever _thought of the fisherwoman being in before. Now that the image was planted there though, it was difficult to get rid of.

"Just make sure you come back to the ship in an hour." Kidd ordered, still not trusting himself to look directly at her for a while. Kishi gave a non-commital grunt in response which Kidd took as her agreement on thsubject. Kidd grumbled 'repel' under his breath and everything metal that Kishi had taken back, still in boxes or unpacked shot into the air, up the ladder and (Kishi hoped) towards the Kidd Pirates' ship.

The only stuff really left to deal with was the bag of fangs and guts by the time the captain stomped his way up the stairs and out of sight.

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"Leave a message, or we'll kill ya?"

"Too violent, even for us. What if someone we _want _to leave a message calls?"

"... Leave a message or else?"

"There's something wrong if you have to _force _someone to leave a message, don't you think?"

"BWAHAHAHA, you've reached Vito's House of Horrors, leave a message... if you DARE!"

"Don't you fucking dare record that crap!"

"Just do the standard. This is the Kidd Pirates, we're not there right now so leave a message after the beep." Killer sighed, rifling through a stack of bounty posters impatiently. Four pairs of eyes glared up at the Massacre Man from the ship's den-den mushi.

Kishi, Vito, Zombie and Mohawk had been trying to come up with a half-decent voice mail. Kishihad been unable to come up with anything, Vito's were all retarded and Zombie and Mohawk's were all too threatening to use. All in all, it'd been a waste of three hours.

"If we were going to say something so boring, we'd have finished ages ago." Vito droned, flicking his tail in the first mate's direction, who took no notice whatsoever.

As the three crew mates continued squabbling, Kishi watched detachedly. Vito had really come out of his old self, battle scars and no more whingeing. He'd changed while Kishi had her back turned, before the fat lady could even warm up her vocal chords.

Now, after missing out on three months and only being back on the ship for two days, Kishi was the outsider instead of the merman. It was funny how things turned out.

It also became apparent to her that in that space of time Kidd had either stopped giving a damn that she existed or was currently ignoring her for reasons unknown to the fisherwoman. Either way, for the past two days the captain blanked her completely or spoke indirectly through Killer. Which was rich considering that idiot was the one who forced her to come back to the ship. Ignoring her defeated the purpose.

"-shi, Kishi!" the fisherwoman blinked and turned to face Killer who was still going through bounty posters. Except now he had lifted his head up to face her.

"Yeah?" she asked warily, not too sure what to say. Killer had seemed a bit off since she had come back to the ship, so Kishiwasn't all that sure how to deal with him anymore.

"Kidd said it's your turn for laundry duty, finish by five." he stated simply, and turned back to look at the posters once more.

"Did he now? That's funny, I didn't hear him say anything of the sort." the cornr of Kishi's mouth twitched as Killer's head looked up again in a snapping motion, but all in all she kept a good control over her features.

"That means I'm ordering you to too." Killer's voice dropped a couple of degrees and Kishi'sface lit up with a forced bright smile.

"But of course, Mr. _first mate_." she stood up, ignored the questioning looks of Vito, Mohawk and Zombie, and walked out of the room. Before she was out of earshot, Kishi heard Mohawk speak.

"I just can't relax around her, you know 'specially after her staying with that Doc for so long. And you never know-" Kishiclosed the door behind her with a snap, not really keen on hearing much more.

Comments like that had become common on the ship, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by the crew that their captain was ignoring her. So by and large most of them followed suit barring the exceptions of Vito, Jun and Taiga.

Not that the cat really had a choice if it wanted to be fed, so only Jun and Vito by choice.

She'd become overly-accustomed to the Heart Pirates' slightly friendlier ways, so it was effecting her more than it ever would have. Or should have.

Sighing, Kishi stepped into the empty laundry room that consisted of one washing machine, a laundry basket and a ginger cat sleeping in said basket.

"Hey Taiga." Kishi crooned. The ginger cat cracked open it's only eye, yawned widely and stepped daintily out of the basket to rub against Kishi's leg affectionately. Something he'd started doing only since she disappeared for a few months.

"What are we even doing here boy?" Kishi sighed as she squatted down, rubbing Taiga behind the ears.

"What _are _you doing here?" a voice quipped from behind. Kishi straightened up, turned around, and saw none other than the captain himself staring bemusedly at her, a box of detergent clutched in one hand.

"Laundry, Killer said it was my turn..." Kishi trailed off and grinned mentally. Killer wasn't as against her as she believed it seemed, organising himself against the rest of the crew _was _the first mate's duty after all.

Kidd's eyes widened and he took a step backwards, as if suddenly remembering something.

"Oh yeah, it is. You do it." he dropped the detergent and as good as ran down the hall connecting the laundry room to the upper deck.

"Please, Mr. Kidd. Listen." despite herself, Kishi's voice cracked on the last word. Desperation stopped the captain hesitantly in his tracks and he looked dubiously over his shoulder but didn't come any nearer.

"What?" his voice came out harsher than he had intended it to. Not that he'd wanted it to come out soft or sappy it was just... harsher than the harsh he'd wanted.

"Why... just tell me why I'm here." Kishi's voice took on strength again, and Kidd turned around to face her fully. There was about ten metres between them in the hall, but it felt more like ten miles.

"Because you promised to be." Kidd smirked proudly and jutted his chin forward, waiting eagerly for the next response. Hopefully the questions were all going to be as easy as the one just asked.

"I know that... why did you _make_ me come here? I'm not strong, not the best strategist and you're not exactly low enough on money to rely on my hunting for funds. _Why am I here_?" Kishi repeated firmly, walking determinedly towards the captain at a slow pace.

"Um... I, just. I wanted, no... I dunno." Kidd answered, his broad shoulders sagging at the admittance.

"You 'dunno'?" Kishi took another step towards the captain who was fidgeting a little.

"Yeah." he grumbled, not meeting the fisherwoman's eyes.

"You nearly destroyed my last link to my family, threatened my and Taiga's well-being, and you don't know why you did it?" Kishi asked, not angry now just incredulous. She'd been expecting him to at least come up with some bullshit answer about how she's useful for chores or he enjoyed watching her pain. Not for him to just answer with 'I dunno'.

"Don't fucking mess with me." Kidd, it seemed, had just realised he'd been on the verge of cowing down to a girl. And now he was just pissed. Kishi groaned inwardly, she'd messed up.

"Wasn't trying to, Mr. Kidd." she replied placatingly, taking a step back again. Invading the captain's personal space was never a good idea as it was, let alone when he realised you were doing it.

Now, Eustas 'Captain' Kidd was a lot of things. He was a stubborn asshole, demonic and homicidal and while not a genius, he wasn't thick-stupid either. He saw now, the wrinkle on Kishi's nose that always appeared when she was angry, the flicker of irritation in her eyes. But also the confusioin that was etched across her face. It comforted him to know at least she knew about as much about what was going on as he did.

"I know." he wondered which of the questions he was answering. Could be all of them, maybe none of them.

"If you have no further use for me, I will return to my room." Kishi bowed stiffly, surprising the captain, and picked up Taiga as she straightened up.

"Wha?" as earlier stated, Kidd is no genius. He watched with wide eyes as Kishi walked towards him with anxiety, let out a breath he didn't know he was holding when she passed by him, and screwed his face up in confusion again when he heard her footsteps continue down the hall. Away from him. For some reason, that idea didn't sit well with him.

"Oi, I didn't give you permission to leave!" that came out harsher than he wanted too. The fisherwoman stopped in her tracks and turned again, facing the captain with dead eyes.

"Yes?" she asked, knowing her voice was as toneless as Killer's and not really caring. If they had no use for her, and vice versa, she wanted out.

Kidd stalked towards her with long powerful strides until he was right in front of her. Needless to say, she placed Taiga on the floor before he got to her and the selfish cat scarpered before he had any say in it.

"You don't _need _to have a purpose here. You didn't before." Kidd advised her, genuinely convinced what he was saying would help.

"Not for you, but I wanted to get to Saboady. I _still _want to get to Saboady." she replied, letting the captain know exactly what she was thinking. Now wasn't a time he would bother punish her for.

"The merman's still fairly useless, and he stays." Kidd said.

"I'm not Vito." was the only reply she gave.

"If you were, I wouldn't still be talking to you I guess." Kidd chuckled darkly, and Kishi glanced up at the broad man in mild surprise.

"If you promise me it'll last this time, I won't complain." Kishi surprised herself by talking without really thinking.

"What?" Kidd asked, oh-so-cleverly.

"Don't go back to ignoring me, it's boring." Kishi grinned disarmingly, and the cranky captain had to turn away before he replied.

"Fine, I guess." he grumbled and walked away, leaving the satisfied fisherwoman in the hall by herself. She loved it when things went her way, especially since they rarely seemed to where Mr. Kidd was concerned.

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Seregunda: Latest update, COMPLETE!^-^ Sorry the ending is kinda rushed, I tried to finish it and upload in the five minutes I had before going training! Well, I hope it isn't noticeable anyway, R&R please people. And remember... reviews attract plot bunnies!XD


	19. Checkups and Sabre Tooths

Seregunda: Thanks everyone who reviewed my last chapter (Henna89, Youz, Green Feather, Psychotic Tendancy, TrunksgirlBlaze27, Moonlight Calls, sucker4villians, Jen567, Msaju17, whitewhite and loser94) I hope you all know how much kind your words mean to me, and I love you all!=3

I probably won't be able to update as frequently for a short while. My Christmas exams are starting!T-T

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over their world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Taiga had, once again, outdone himself. And it was obvious that he was proud of it.

That morning when Killer had dropped a pot of super glue on the deck (for the bounty posters he had taken to pasting all over the map room) and left with cleaning it up properly, Taiga had nudged a hundred beri onto that spot. Watching Vito had never been so fun.

He had annihilated the sails completely after jumping from the crows nest and using his claws in the material to slow his fall.

Opened the latch on the small pen that kept pigs and sheep for food and watched in triumph as every crew member made an idiot of himself chasing the 'domestic' animals around the deck.

Sadly because of all this commotion, Taiga had to dodge a blast of fire breath from Zombie but it had been worth it to see the undead man's face drop when the cat hit the deck and the fire went straight over him and into the room where the explosives were kept. Thankfully after an ambushnot too long ago, their supplies were unusually low so the blast had only been enough to damage that one room and scar the floor boards. Nothing too expensive, but enough for Zombie to get an earful from their irritated captain.

And during this time, not one crew member thought to ask why an animal with such a supposedly low IQ was capable of half of those pranks. Not that it was a question they would be able to answer anyway though.

The circumstances above were the reason Taiga was hiding inside a barrel in the galley among assorted fruits, listening to the captain screech at his crew to 'find the demon-cat' from the safest place possible.

Taiga shifted uncomfortably, a pineapple getting too close for comfort, when he sniffed the air interestedly. When he had shifted a coconut accidentally with his paw, a strange smell filled the barrel. Almost like rotten fish, but it was extremely faint. Green eye widening in curiosity, Taiga batted a few more fruits out of his way with his paws until he came face to face with something that didn't look like something he'd seen before.

Sniffing it delicately, Taiga determined that the rotten-fish smell was coming from whatever-it-was. Taiga sat back on his haunches for a bit, his tail flicking in irritation. It didn't look like fish... But it _smelled _like fish. Bad fish, but still fish. And bad fish was better than no fish so...

Eying what looked like a slate-grey nectarine with purple stripes on it, Taiga lowered his head and sniffed it once more to be sure. Definitely smelled like fish. Perking his ears up, Taiga stilled as the noise on the upper deck lessened considerably and decided to eat whatever it was before he hadn't a choice anymore.

Quick as lightning, Taiga scooped it up in his mouth and crunched down on it nearly gagging in the process. It tasted _worse _than rotten fish! Sadly, the cat had swallowed on reflex the moment he had bitten into it so there wasn't much he could do now but glare at the remaining fruits haughtily.

Taiga never could understand why humans ate such disgusting things.

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Kishi was squirming uncomfortably. There was nothing wrong with her, she knew there wasn't. And undoubtedly the white-haired _freak _in the middle of giving her a check-up knew there wasn't anything wrong either and was delaying her escape to anywhere that wasn't here.

Which was the medical bay.

"Hm~ no signs of scurvy or typhoid. Let's check for conjunctivitis next." Tohru chirped, taking out a long menacing-looking needle.

"There is NO WAY you need a needle to check for conjunctivitis! I can see _JUST FINE_! That's all I need!" Kishi toppled off the stretcher she'd been lying on for the best part of an hour and hightailed it out of the doctor's office.

Well, she _tried _to hightail it out of the doctor's office.

"Now now, every other crew member had to go through this too you know. No need to get stroppy." Tohru tsked loudly, as if he hadn't been about to stick a needle the length of Kishi's whole upper arm into her eyeball. Being the irritatingly good fighter he was, Tohru made it to the door and blocked the exit before Kishi had even take three steps across the room.

"Their exams only lasted five minutes, you're _trying _to find something wrong with me!" Kishi protested loudly, hoping that someone outside could hear her. She doubted it though, between Vito's earlier complaining, the sails ripping and whatever the hell that explosion was (all of which could be heard through the door) there was no way anyone was going to listen to her when there wasn't even a real emergency.

"Your eyes look normal. Let's see if we can find traces of malaria next." Kishi was probably faced with the only man in the world who could say that sentence and look as if Christmas had come early.

"Hell no! I feel fine, no internal bleeding, scurvy, typhoid, malaria, measles, mumps, chickenpox, malaria or rabies!" Kishi tried to barge through the over-zealous doctor only to practically bounce off his chest and fall backwards onto her ass.

"Ow." she winced and found her way to her feet again, glaring up at the doctor who was smiling eerily at her.

"Looks like traces of Capgras Delusion to me. Oh dear, this could be dangerous we might need you deported." Tohru hummed, obviously delighted with his diagnostics.

"It's not freakin' Capgras unless it's delusions about someone I _trust _jackass. I never trusted you." Kishi huffed, sinking back down to the floor in defeat.

"Paranoia then. Just as dangerous, with the right incentive." Tohru leered, pulling what looked like a miniature chainsaw out of a press beneath a sanitation station.

"Please." Kishi tried, not even bothering to beg, it was more of a bland statement. Not as if it would do much good to her anyway.

"Don't think so. Now just stay still and let me-" Tohru blinked, cut off by a loud hammering on the door to his office. The mildly surprised look quickly turned to one of irritation when the knocking didn't stop and kept going right up until the 'good' doctor put down his equipment and swung the door open in annoyance.

"Yo Doc, you still have her in here?" Tohru blinked twice, and slowly, at the slightly out-of-breath captain before him. Well, blinked _down _at him seeing as Tohru stood a good two to three inches over him.

"...Yes. Although she has extreme paranoia, and a mild case of Capgras Delusion so you might want to stay away." Tohru warned with a completely straight face, something even the fisherwoman herself felt deserved applause.

"I'm here, and there's nothing wrong with me! At all!" Kishi cried out in relief, dodging past the white-haired doctor and practically attaching herself to Kidd's side. Who looked beyond confused as to what was going on.

"Cap... what? It's not contagious, is it?" suddenly it looked as if the captain wanted nothing more than to peel the fisherwoman away from him.

"No, no, no. He's just trying to say I'm crazy. The second bit was 'delusions', right?" Kishi interjected quickly before Tohru had the chance to open his mouth.

"Oh yeah," Kidd nodded, as if it made perfect sense, and continued on as the doctor struggled to disagree with their deductions.

"Your bloody cat's raised hell this morning! Where the hell were you?" Kidd hissed, grabbing the fisherwoman by the elbow and steering her away from Tohru's office and towards the upper deck where everyone was still looking for the cat.

"I've been a little tied up. I'll find him now though." Kishi grinned over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at the fuming doctor.

"You'd better, 'cause there's no way I'm letting this one slide! That fucking cat's caused more damage than I should ever have let happen!" Kidd scowled and his grip on Kishi's elbow grew tighter as he pushed her towards the entrance to the lower deck. Where confused shouting wracked the area once more.

"What the? And I'd just gotten them to shut the hell up too." Kidd grumbled, suddenly annoyed as he heard Killer's voice call for order in vain. Which was odd, since usually Killer could keep a handle on everyone with no problems at all.

Increasing their pace, Kidd dragged himself and the fisherwoman onto the lower deck where entire crew was gathered in a circle around a massive creature.

Two large protruding fangs cut down over it's lower lip. It's nose was oddly squashed and head too small for it's almost disproportionally large and broad shoulders. It's hind legs were much shorter than it's front and two ears, one with a bite taken out of it, were round and almost raccoon-like. In short, it was something that technically _should not exist _anymore.

"How the hell did that get here?" Kidd asked, oddly calm in the situation, and looked left and right for a sign of land or even a boat. The open sea surrounded them.

Despite the noise surrounding it, the sabre tooth lion (if that really was what it was) yawned and sat back on it's squat hind legs and used it's one pea-green eye to survey the situation. It's stubby almost pitiful excuse for a tail flicked to and fro as it did so.

"We don't know, it just walked out of the galley all of a sudden and sat there." Jun supplied nervously. He was not liking those claws very much.

The lion stared at the captain earnestly, and upon flicking his gaze from Kidd to Kishi in one solid movement the beast lumbered to it's feet and padded slowly towards them. Ignoring warning shouts from the crew, Kidd stood in place curiously as the lion drew closer. His iron grip kept the fisherwoman stock still too.

Coming to a stop in front of Kishi the lion flopped sideways and rolled around on it's back before glancing up at her again expectantly. Seeing the blank stares the creature was receiving, it repeated the process again and again until the image clicked in Kishi's brain.

"Taiga? What the... what the hell happened to you?" Kishi dropped to her knees and ran her fingers through the lion's tufty, wiry fur in awe. She had _not _been feeding him _that _much.

"I think it's pretty obvious what happened." a low drawl sounded out from behind herself and Kidd, both of whom turned to see Tohru standing behind them, hand on one hip and a satisfied smirk on his face.

"And what would that be?" Killer finally voiced up, straightening up from the defensive stance he had taken when the 'threat' had first appeared.

"She found a devil fruit and was too afraid to eat it herself. She is, after all, a fisherwoman. And what sort of fisherwoman would she be if she couldn't swim? However, the cat couldn't swim anyway, so there was no harm in feeding it to him. She planned to gain a bodyguard, or perhaps an escape route from the ship." Tohru smirked widely as Kishi's face fell and a dark look settled across Kidd's features.

Kishi couldn't think of any definite argument for this one. As annoying as it was to admit it, Tohru's story sounded like something Kishi would truly do herself. Even if she didn't think of it, or even know of the fruit's existence up until a few moments ago.

"So the devil cat got hold of a _kenshi tora no mi_, huh?" Kidd chuckled darkly and Kishi, who was kneeling only two feet in front of the man, was terrified to turn around. There was no way Kidd was going to believe her right off the bat, all evidence pointed in Tohru's favour.

"I swear, I'd be proud to think up a scheme like that! And do you really think I'd still be here if I'd fed Taiga a devil fruit? I'd be long-gone if I'd known about it!" the fisherwoman protested truthfully, but on deaf ears.

"Mrowr?" suddenly, Taiga's flat nose nudged against her knee and Kishi toppled sideways to sit on the floor in surprise. Taiga's usual cat noises sounded a hundred times more terrifying than they usually did, which was probably a good thing seeing as they weren't scary at all before.

"Come with me." Kishi turned to look over her shoulder at the captain who had spoken in surprise.

"Wha?" Kishi blinked twice before scrambling to her feet quickly.

"Leave the cat here, Killer make sure he behaves. You have permission to kill it otherwise." Kidd snarled and grabbed a hold of Kishi's wrist once more and started dragging her off towards the captain's quarters.

"Hey, don't kill him! Please don't Killer, Taiga you'd better behave! I mean it, don't do any-ow!" Kishi was cut off by a particularly hard yank on her wrist and before she knew it she was pushed through a door, followed closely by the captain himself, and said door was then locked. The only windows in the room were porthole style, and unlikely to fit much bigger than cat-Taiga through it let alone Kishi. She was stuck.

"I hear one more thing I don't like, _just one _and you're gone." Kidd growled, his voice had lowered in timbre and pitch. Kishi had to strain her ears to make out exactly what the flame-haired captain had said.

"I didn't plan anything." Kishi answered immediately, not even giving a second thought to the consequences of her voice being heard.

"THE HELL YOU DIDN'T!" Kidd's voice, previously so quiet, had raised to a level that nearly burst Kishi's eardrums. The fisherwoman had to duck quickly to avoid a spiky-looking black lamp that had been 'repelled' in her direction.

"You said last time how much you hated it here. Why the hell wouldn't you take any chance you could to escape?" Kidd snarled, stuffing his hands in his coat's ridiculously large pockets and scowling heavily at her.

"Just 'cause I hate it here, and probably would try escape if I knew where the fruit was, doesn't mean I actually did know where the fruit was. Where did you have it hidden?" Kishi asked, suddenly curious as to how her cat got his paws on it.

"Don't try the innocent act on me, I know you brought the fruit on board with you!" Kidd roared, and Kishi had to dodge a flying doorknob that had been her only hope of exiting the room without Kidd's powers. Shit.

"How the hell would I have managed that? You freakin' _watched_me pack up my stuff! And we've been at sea for two weeks since, where the hell do you think I'd have found that fruit?" Kishi suddenly exploded, but still kept in mind not to stray too close to the volatile captain. More items of furniture had begun flying around, if that four poster bed was going to get thrown she'd be a goner.

This bit of information, it seemed, was knew to the captain. Who clearly hadn't thought this far ahead yet.

"I dunno, you tell me!" Kidd shouted, but Kishi was slightly relieved to see a few of the sharpest objects clatter to the floor. A metal bat, however, had been swerving dangerously close to Kishi's person for the past while though.

"Mr. Kidd, I promised I wouldn't leave. Well, not until you fire me anyway. You're going to get sick of having me around eventually, and I'll leave _then_. The Grand Line is only so big, what do you think I'd do if I ran into you again?" Kishi laughed nervously and the metal bat swung at her head. Kishi let out a shriek of fright and threw herself on the floor to avoid any concussion.

This was getting a little ridiculous.

"You're _not _leaving!" Kidd shouted, and suddenly the bed was in the air. Kishi paled.

"I-I just said I wouldn't until-"

"And I said _never_! You're staying _here_!"

Kishi jumped as high into the air as she could and landed on the bed as it flew at her, bracing herself as it flew straight into the wall. Thankfully, due to the metal headrest and footrest, the bed didn't crumple and Kishi remained unharmed by the crash.

"Okay, okay! I'm staying here, I'll stay here and I won't leave!" Kishi yelled, holding her head in the fetal position on the bed as the metal bat flew at her. It stopped mid-swing.

"Swear?" Kidd growled smugly, suddenly a lot less angry than he had been under two seconds ago.

"Yes, yes. Definitely!" Kishi sat up and watched, wide-eyed, as the bat fell with a harmless *_plop_* onto her lap. She looked down and fingered the base, wondering if there would be any use found in swinging it at the captain. Probably not, he'd freeze it mid-air and proceed to bash her brains in.

"Can't go back on it now. Got that?" Kishi looked up, and was surprised at the captain's close proximity. He had been only an inch from her face and she couldn't sense him.

"Got it." Kishi replied infallibly, a smirk of her own making it's way to her face. A smirk, Kidd noticed, that had not been there before she disappeared for three months and was in in the likeness of a certain doctor's. It annoyed him to no end that the 'Dark Doctor' affected his crew in any way. That was why he did what he did next. Well, that was his reasoning for it anyway.

Ignoring the questioning look he got from the fisherwoman, Kidd stared her straight in the eyes before letting a triumphant half-grin plaster his face.

Then, Kidd proceeded to dip his head lower and catch Kishi's lips with his own. Kishi, thoroughly freaked out by now, squirmed and thrashed against the man who was so much stronger than her he probably couldn't even tell she was struggling. Didn't mean she wasn't still outraged when he bit her lower lip before running his tongue against the cut almost apologetically and trying to force his entrance.

This was something the fisherwoman _could _deny access to. Clamping her mouth shut, so her lips were no more than a thin line, Kishi glared at the red-haired captain who was clearly taking no notice of her.

And oddly, as the captain pulled away in irritation, the last thought that entered Kishi's brain before bracing herself for what was surely to come, was of a horse trying to eat an apple through a letterbox.

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Seregunda: Hope everyone enjoyed the latest chappie! Info for this chapter... 'cause I realise there's some things here most people wouldn't get right away. Capgras Delusion is a state of mind where someone becomes convinced a loved one is trying to kill them. And as for the last horse comment... trust me you'll get it if you think hard enough! Or if you're like me, it'll come to you naturally. But, I am aware some people have _normal _minds so... meh. R&R please people... the plot bunnies wiill be expecting you!:L


	20. Tsumi O Okashimasu

Seregunda: Thanks everyone who reviewed my last chapter (Moonlight Calls, sucker4villains, Jen567, ichigo1508, Green Feather, Regsd, Doubleblade Miriko, TrunksgirlBlaze27, Youz, Psychotic Tendency and Kesshin15) I hope you all know how much kind your words mean to me, and I love you all!=3

Jen567- same thing's sort of been bugging me for the last few chapters, I'm working on getting my writing to match what I think Kidd's train of thought would follow, but it's a work-in-progress. But don't worry, I _am _gonna give Kidd's POV more time than I have already.

ichigo1508- well... Kishi is _never _going to be Shichibukai or Yonkou level. I'm sick to death of characters that magically get unimaginable strength, but she _will _get stronger. That's all I can give away!XD

Doubleblade Miriko-... I feel like a failure of an author to say I never have any idea how long my stories are gonna last. I never plan chapters, let alone a plot! Probably not right when a plot twist surprises the writer as much as a reader... but whatever! In the canon I suppose it would be just after the war, right before Luffy rings the Ox Bell.

**Read this if you care:** and yes, that is in bold to catch the attention of readers like me who usually go straight to the story without reading what writers have to say!:L I've been thinking... would it be a good move to up the rating of this to 'M'? I'm not bothered either way personally, so I figured you guys could decide instead!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over their world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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He should have done that ages ago, that was Kidd's opinion. Especially now that she kept from under his feet.

It was the day after Kidd had... for lack of a stronger or manlier word, kissed the fisherwoman.

At the time, sure, the captain was annoyed when the bitch nearly bit his tongue off. But now that the change in Kishi's demeanour around him was noticeable even to other crew members, Kidd felt a smugness unparalleled to even his usual one.

He walks into a room while she's talking, her voice drops and she quiets down.

He tries to meet her eyes, she looks at the floor.

He tries to _speak _with her and she decides it's hunting time and leaves on the dinghy boat. Which was now considerably weighed down by the prehistoric creature trying to balance on it's prow.

"Where's the bitch?" Kidd asked his masked first mate, who looked up from his bounty posters with a blank stare until Kidd scratched the back of his head sheepishly and glanced away.

"Oh yeah, you don't give a shit." Kidd groaned and slumped back in the high-backed chair of the map room. He had been bored out of his mind since Kishi had left for her hunting trip. At least tormenting her had kept him occupied. In the end, Killer had snapped after all his complaining and dragged him in to help him categorize the bounty posters in order of the threat they posed to the Kidd Pirates.

Which, Killer had discovered, was probably the worst thing you could ask a big-headed captain to do.

"What the fuck's wrong with you? _None _of them are a threat to us!" he had howled, with enough barking laughter to drill a migraine into the Massacre Man's head.

This had resulted in Kidd watching everything Killer was doing, and telling him he was wrong and how much stronger the Kidd Pirates were than every other crew on any blue so they didn't have to worry about anyone.

As his captain continued prattling incessantly in his ear, Killer could feel his own irritation boiling over.

"What _exactly _is going on? You drag that woman onto our ship unwillingly, ignore her for days, and just after you speak with her again she starts avoiding you. If this effects the crew Kidd, I'll step in." Killer interrupted the captain, who had been in the middle of complaining about something, and laced his fingers patiently.

Kidd, startled out of his stride, only opened and closed his mouth noiselessly.

"Sound would help." Kidd didn't need to see Killer's face to know he was smirking at him.

"Nothin'... showed her her place s'all." Kidd snubbed his first mate and turned to scowl out the porthole. The ocean outside was still dinghy boat-less.

"You're an idiot then." Killer, now bored with the conversation, went back to rifling through the papers diligently.

"I'm no idiot!" Kidd snarled, his face tinted red with rage.

"I believe you are. To even believe she has a _place _on this ship is borderline imbecilic, showing an imaginary place to someone who shouldn't be here qualifies the person as a bonafide idiot." Killer retorted, perfectly calm and composed as his captain seethed before him.

"I'm not an idiot!" he repeated, and Killer felt if he riled the captain up just a bit more the man would be spitting flames.

"No, you are. You're not stupid, but you _are _an idiot. Stupid people do stupid things because they don't realise it's stupid. Idiots, however, do stupid things even when they realise it's stupid. They, _you _in this case, are idiotic enough to believe the laws of stupidity don't apply to them and they will get away with it. This mentality baffles me to this very day." Killer supplies easily, picking a newspaper up from under the table and thumbing through it's contents thoroughly, as if looking for something.

Kidd, just about to explode and tell Killer exactly what he thought of his analytic skills, when the paper was shoved under his nose with a firm, "You'd know this already if you weren't so busy harassing the fisherwoman all morning."

Calming down considerably, Kidd snatched the paper from the first mate's hand and stared down at a picture of Monkey D. Luffy ringing a huge bell in front of what appeared to be thousands of marines.

"What the fuck?" Kidd grumbled, and began reading the article aloud to the first mate, who held a major 'get-on-with-it' aura.

Kidd stopped for a moment just as he finished the article, he had a feeling he was supposed to be impressed with something, ut he probably just wasn''t getting it.

"Killer, what's the Ox Bell?" Kidd asked, feeling he'd regret it and be chastised for his ignorance once again by the massacre man who seemed to know anything about everything.

"A bell in Marineford that's rung in the beginning of a new era. Interesting message." Killer quipped, staring intently at his captain for any hint of a reaction. A frown, which deepened into a grimace, which deepened into a full-on scowl.

"What the hell, this uppity little pirate thinks he can bring in a new era by himself? Not going to happen! There's no way this wannabe pirate can outdo _me_." Kidd chortled, tossing the newspaper back to his first mate who caught it without a flinch.

"Doubtful, but the possibility is there. Keep that in mind captain, if you face him anytime soon." Killer warned him, just as a thought occured to Kidd.

"And the point of this was?" Kidd prompted, usually Killer's monologues had some interesting point behind them.

Killer glanced up, the movement detectable only by the slight inclination of the man's neck, and Kidd could feel a smirk behind Killer's mask again.

"Just giving you a stupid person to judge yourself against, Captain."

Kidd, who had been mid-way between standing back up and sitting down, froze. But instead of getting angry as one would have expected, an almost un-Kidd-like grin broke across his features before he stood up fully and left the room.

One might have expected anger, but Killer made it his duty to expect only what will definitely come.

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"You've _got _to be screwing with me." Kidd grunted, leaning against a barrel and watching what was happening before him with irritated derision.

"Thankfully, no. Doesn't look as if she will be any time soon either." Vito chirped, absolutely thrilled with the way things have played out. The two of them, Jun, Killer and quite possibly most of the crew were on the upper deck watching what could only be called a spectacle take place.

In a ring made of ropelain out on the floor, Kishi and Tohru stood facing each other off with equal determination to rip the other's throat out. Neither, surprisingly, seemed to be getting very far much to Kidd's confusion.

"Why hasn't he killed her yet?" that was Killer of course, and the question was directed at the most trustworthy source of information. The overweight cook.

"He's training her is why. Y'all should have seen the look on the good doctor's face when she popped into the clinic to ask for lessons, it was like he finally found what makes that weird smell in the corner of the men's quarters." Jun chuckled, good-humoured.

"Why?" that was both Killer _and _Kidd this time. Jun and Vito glanced sidelong at each other as if to say 'are they serious?' and Vito spoke up.

"For protection. She said this morning that she'd probably need it if she's gonna be stuck here for a while." Vito supplied readily, reading both the captain's and first mate's faces for a trace of expression.

Both held only confusion, but different kinds. Kidd's expression was a 'what the hell happened?' look, and Killer was glaring at the captain in a 'what the hell did you do?' way.

"Yowch." Jun flinched as he watched Tohru jab the fisherwoman at the base of her hip and her leg collapse under her.

Spurred on by the doctor's actions, Kidd blurted out "But I thought she hated him?"

"She does. Must have hated whatever happened yesterday way more though. Came back to our room and didn't speak for twenty minutes, that's a record between us two." Vito mused, picking idly at a few scales on his tail.

"You're _still _in the women's quarters? Get the hell outta there, you're a self-proclaimed crew member right?" Kidd completely missed the train of thought the merman was following. In fact, much to Vito's surprise, the captain seemed ticked off.

"Relax, yikes it's not like I'm getting any or something." Vito crossed his arms over his perfectly chiseled torso, and turned his structurally flawless face to look at the captain.

"Why the hell _would _you be getting any? You look like some Abercrombie dip-shit decided to make people!" Kidd snarled, and the merman edged away carefully regaining some of his old personality as he did so.

"Not my fault I'm sexy." Vito sniffed and turned his other cheek to the captain who was now fuming, once again. Except this time half of the crew's eyes had drifted away from the almost-one-sided-but-not-quite training session in front of them and settled on him instead.

"He's gonna kill her." Jun murmured, only to be mildly surprised when, after being tossed into the air, Kishi realigned herself perfectly above the doctor and dropped to give him a roundhouse kick. Not being strong enough yet, she succeeded only in hurting her ankle and her pride when Tohru allowed the kick to hit and she fell sliding off.

"The skills are there, to an extent." Killer admitted aloud, and both Vito and Jun turned to look at the Massacre Man in surprise. He never complimented anyone for the sake of it, so it must actually be true. Kidd wasn't surprised by the comment at all, his eyes being good enough to see this for himself.

"Yeah but," Vito winced as he watched another of Kishi's punches hit Tohru right in the abdomen and fail, "it's not like she has much to back it up with."

"Easily fixed." Killer droned, now watching the spar with renewed interest.

"You going to want to train her now or something?" Vito asked in a teasing voice, only just about capable of holding himself back from jostling the mass murderer with his elbow. The reason he succeeded was because, well, he'd have been jostling a mass murderer with his elbow.

"No, my fighting style would be useless for her to learn. Tohru's is... the most useful for her to learn _strategically_. It centers around intelligence and using the opponent's body against them, perfect for her." Killer said, and the three listeners' eyes widened slightly. They'd all thought she just decided to turn suicidal.

"What in the great blues would she need that for? I'm more than strong enough for protection." Kidd reckoned, irritation cropping up once again as he watched the fisherwoman clamber to her feet only to have her left arm paralysed by a series of jabs just below her shoulder.

"Well _there's_ the problem, who is going to protect her from you?" Jun joked jovially, meaning this as a compliment which the captain would usually appreciate.

"She doesn't need it!" Kidd huffed and crossed his arms, leaving that as the final straw. Both Vito and Jun glanced simultaneously to the first mate for an explanation, who had not been listening to a single word and was watching Tohru proceed to now officially beat the living tar out of the fisherwoman.

Not as interested in the topic as they might have been, the cook and the merman both shrugged nonchalantly and left the scene. They weren't going to start digging their own graves now, not when the New World's spoils were only around the corner.

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_*One Month Later*_

Kishi knew she had half-predicted Kidd's success in piracy, but the extent of which she hadn't really thought about. Unlike a few of the Supernovae, obviously Kidd had gone straight into the New World instead of hanging back like the Heart Pirates, or disappearing off the face of the Earth like the Strawhats. Being the arrogant jackass that he was, he had believed without a shadow of a doubt there was nobody out there that could beat him.

And so far, he was right.

Granted a few of the bigger names nearly killed him a few times already, and thankfully Killer had managed to convince Kidd to avoid 'stepping on Moria's toes' as it were when they were passing his ship.

And Kishi had succeeded in her goal to drop so far below the radar that Kidd paid her hardly any attention anymore.

Granted it resulted in her having no choice but to spend a lot more of her time training with the psychopathic doctor than she would have liked, but he left her alone and that was more than enough. To say the least his actions had shocked Kishi to her core roughly a month ago, usually it was only the occasional visit to a brothel when they docked at a port, even then only rarely, and that did Kidd for a good while.

To be honest, she had more or less forgotten that he was male until then. Even more so the idea that he'd be willing to try anything on her. Especially since, according to what she'd gathered from Vito's ramblings, Kidd's usual tastes were buxom blondes that could be found in the dregs of a city.

Never did fit her bill much.

And there was no way in hell she believed his 'I wanted to wipe Law's smirk off your face' excuse. Unless he was gay, there was no way that was going to fly. If it was _Vito _maybe there'd be a possibility he was a little too cheerful to be a straight pirate. Kidd embodied the typical pirate and three words summed him up fairly well. Money, glory and women. Except he never seemed to know exactly what to do with the last of the lot other than the obvious.

"Growr." Kishi shook herself from her thoughts and glanced... not down. _Over _at Taiga who had gotten so excited about something the entire dinghy boat was rocking.

"Got something for us boy?" Kishi stood up, stretched out the muscles in her back, and ambled over to where the prehistoric cat was purring triumphantly and skittering around the edge of the boat excitedly.

Glancing over the side, Kishi smiled softly. Schools upon schools of fish were swimming below. Ranging from huge marlin, to tiny sardines and everything in between. Kishi wasn't even going to think about anything that lived any deeper for now. She'd acquired two more fangs to add to her collection over the month, the last being yesterday, and had no desire for another, today at least.

Dropping the nets overboard, Kishi began her work as diligently as ever.

_"Kamome no suihei-san, naranda suihei-san,_  
_shiroi boshi, shiroi shatsu, shiroi fuku,_  
_nami ni chappu chappu ukande-ru-"_

She hauled the nets back up, with a lot more ease than she used to. Something she could attribute to Tohru, despite the fact that she felt he had genuinely been trying to kill her the last few days. One dangerous thing about Kidd more or less forgetting she existed, was that Tohru noticed it and was now willing to try nearly anything to get rid of her.

_"Kamome no suihei-san, kakeashi suihei-san,_  
_shiroi boshi, shiroi shatsu, shiroi fuku,_  
_nami o chappu chappu koete iku-"_

Hearing some low, muffled shouting Kishi paused in her singing and glanced up to scan the area she knew for a fact to be open sea. Which it still was.

The only difference being the gothic ship that was now her 'home' was making it's speedy way over to her.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Vito or Jun that was hanging over the side of the ship yelling at her, but the captain himself. Wondering briefly what he could possibly have to say to her, Kishi pocketed her gutting knife and watched the approaching ship with wide, mildly-interested eyes.

"Get on board, now! We're moving out to Tsumi O Okashimasu." Kidd bellowed, dropping a few ropes with an almost dangerous smirk for Kishi to tie up herself.

"Tsumi O... I don't think I've actually been there before." Kishi's brow furrowed in thought as she pulled the dinghy and her catch of the day up onto the deck.

"Thought you'd been everywhere?" Kidd queried, clearly smug and wanting the chance to rub Kishi's face in something. Because he hadn't managed to catch hold of her for quite a while.

"Never said that. I thought I'd at least heard of most places though." Kishi mused, tying the boat down and only slightly concerned the captain hadn't left to do something, anything, yet.

"Clearly not." Kidd replied jauntily, eyeing the sabre tooth that leaped daintily from the small boat and settled on the deck for a nice long nap.

"Don't like the name." Kishi frowned thoughtfully, scratching Taiga behind the ears before straightening up and padding towards the map room. Where Killer probably was and an explanation undoubtably near.

"You don't have to." Kidd snapped and hurried a little to match her pace as they headed into the map room. He had lain low (on Killer's advice) for long enough. Kishi had a month to get over it, wasn't even as if he had done anything that bad in the first place, he could have done way worse. More than enough time for Kidd to actually get his head around what was going on, and now he had the big picture in his head at last.

For whatever reason, his body decided to enjoy Kishi's presence more than most other females. As far as Kidd could tell, it was a good thing. It'd be a pain if it was some chick on another crew, he'd have to go through the whole bother of actually finding her for starters.

Convenience is a captain's best friend after all (according to Killer). And what a place for a pirate to make a point, Tsumi O Okashimasu.

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Seregunda: Sorry for the delay, between christmas and me being sick the whole writing thing has had to take a back seat. Thankfully I got my head right for long enough to write this, but I'm housebound, it sucks but whatever. T-T Hope everyone enjoyed the update anyway, and the literal translation of Tsumi O Okashimasu is 'sin'. Trust the English language to simplify anyway... R&R please, and I hope everyone had a great Christmas!=3


	21. The 'How To' for voodoo

Seregunda: Thanks everyone who reviewed my last chapter (Devonlizz, JuzSomeone, Reality Bores Me, Moonlight Calls, Youz, sucker4villains, Jen567 'santa clause is a stalker' and ichigo1508,) I hope you all know how much kind your words mean to me, and I love you all!=3

Reality Bores Me- Taiga ate the _Kenshi Tora no Mi_. Literal translation: Sabre-tooth Fruit. Imaginative, I know.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over their world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Kishi didn't know what she had expected to find on Tsumi O Okashimasu. The names of islands in these parts are generally fairly accurate, so maybe some tombstones littered around the place with a few zombies and mad-scientist labs thrown in. That would have been more likely.

A convent with dithering nuns flocking around the docks was not on Kishi's list of expectations when they pulled into harbour.

"Matsu, you're the shittiest navigator we could possibly have." Kidd groaned, rubbing his temples soothingly, knowing he should feel angrier than he actually was. The navigator began leafing through maps at high speed, babbling about how he didn't understand where he could have went wrong.

"Matsu's directions were, as always, flawless Captain." Killer droned, flitting quickly to fill the space between the irritated captain and frantic navigator.

"Then what the fuck is with those nuns down there? They're giving us creepy looks." Kidd squirmed uncomfortably and Killer glanced down over the side to see that Kidd was right. There were scores of nuns swarming around the sides of the ship, shaking their heads sadly at the Gothic studs and spikes jutting out of the ship's surface and tutting briskly at the demonic figurehead. Kidd's hair was also getting a few righteous glares.

"Why don't you ask them?" Killer quipped brusquely, clearly not caring about the nature of the island as much as Kidd did.

"I think our fisherwoman beat ya'll to it." Jun wobbled onto the scene, gesturing grandly to the religious circle that had formed around a purple dot on the dock.

"Wow, I never would have expected to find a _convent _of all things on this island! How long have you all been here, sisters?" Kishi asked eagerly genuinely interested in the lives of the black and white clad women who were circling her like hawks.

"Of course we came to purify this... island and it's disciples of hell. Isn't that right ladies?" the oldest of the nuns, standing closest to Kishi, called out with a devout smile. The congregation broke out into a humble applause and the occasional 'divine' wolf whistle.

"What the fuck's that s'posed to mean?" Kishi could feel the shock and indignation of every one of the nuns as her captain shoved his way into the core of the crowd, he wasn't exactly keeping his elbows or sturdy sea boots to himself either.

The oldest nun looked the captain up, down and up again before letting out a weary sigh.

"I am Sister Evangeline, and I am the First of Forty-three Equals. Therefore, I shall speak for my fellow Sisters when I say we came to fix the bloodthirsty nature of men like you." the old woman had an overbearing presence. Between the traditional habit she wore, the plain walking stick, her beaky nose and wiry grey hair that could be seen poking out from under said habit she was exactly the type of woman Kidd couldn't stand.

"Men like me? Trust me lady, if there was even a single man like me on this island you wouldn't be alive right now!" Kidd hissed, showing his teeth clearly to the self-assured Evangeline.

"I see." the old woman replied simply, and turned to face the rest of the Sisters who were waiting on bated breath for directions.

"Hear me Sisters, this young man has lost the path of light and walks the way of the sinner! On this island have we not agreed to refuseto simply allow such men the primrose path? We shall accommodate them during their stay, but treat them for what they are and show them the true conviction of our abbey." Sister Evangeline's voice wavered as she broke off, and both Kidd and Kishi squirmed as each of the abbess' eyes began to overflow with tears of gratification.

"Do we count?" Kishi asked, pointing to herself and Vito who was shuffling his way off the ship with the rest of the crew. The mesmeric merman immediately made Kishi regret her words, and began to flirt, albeit harmlessly, with the younger nuns. Sister Evangeline glared at the hybrid, but her gaze softened upon looking at Kishi.

"I have heard of you, my dear. Very few on these waters haven't. Your subjection is unwilling, yes?" the abbess questioned, tapping Kishi's side with the walking stick curiously, as if trying to see how she worked.

"Ye-" Kishi began, only to be cut off halfway through by a furious captain.

"It doesn't _matter _anymore, 'CAUSE SHE'S AS MUCH A MEMBER OF OUR CREW AS THE NEXT MAN!" Kidd snarled, some spittle even flying out in his fury. Kidd stood between Kishi and the old nun, glaring her down and keeping a dead man's grip on Kishi's wrist. Which tightened with every moment that passed as if daring the fisherwoman to deny anything.

Sister Evangeline, completely unperturbed by the captain's lack of respect and... pretty much any form of common courtesy merely smiled wistfully at the enraged captain and leaned forward heavily on her cane.

"To be austere, is as useful a virtue as patience. That is what we try to uphold here. This island had one of the most corrupt histories until twenty years ago when I founded this convent here for the _purpose _of eliminating such iniquitous stories. And we have succeeded thus far in all but name." Sister Evangeline turned a smirk worthy of Kidd himself on the dumbstruck captain.

"So... there's no bars? No alcohol? No _available _women?" Mohawk stepped up to the plate, clearly horror-struck by his revelation.

"Maybe for _you_." Vito leaned towards the irate crew member with a perverse grin, his eyes flickering to the nuns who were more affected by his presence than their statutes should technically allow them to be.

"Bastard." Mohawk gave the merman a friendly shove, nearly causing Vito to overbalance due to his tail.

"Ladies, refrain yourselves. You have a higher calling than that of procreation." Sister Evangeline sniffed, and suddenly every single nun present had the sense to look ashamed of themselves and, miraculously, leave Vito's side in favour of the old prude's.

"She have them brainwashed or something?" Vito murmured, not able to get his head around it as each of the nuns left the docks to go back to their convent for their 'Mid-Afternoon Prayer Service'. Kishi had never really encouraged Vito's egotism, but she had to agree. There were extremely few women around the world capable of turning that particular merman down.

"Maybe my friend, maybe." Kishi raised her eyebrows in surprise, watching each nun file into the convent in an orderly line. It was a bit creepy if you asked her, especially since there were a fair few nuns in their early twenties in that group- an age where you would expect them to be completely focused on having fun and the male species.

"It doesn't matter, let's just get to the nearest tavern and get it over with. It takes three days for the log to set, so everyone entertain youselves _accordingly_. At least until the last day, have as much fun as you want then." Killer spoke up for the first time since arriving, and the entire crew glanced up in surprise as a unit.

"Didn't the old hag just say there's no good stuff here? Might as well stay on the ship, there isn't gonna be any alcohol." Kidd groaned, turning a petulant gaze on his first mate who stood his ground without any problems. He was aware of Kidd's thoughts when the island's name had first come up, and he'd be damned if he didn't get a chance to see them fail completely. Getting it out of the way quickly, would ensure Kidd's concentration in the future. And maybe his boredom with the fisherwoman would reawaken once more and he would kick her off the ship. All in all, Killer had every reason to want to stay on the island.

"And you think that would work? At the very least, the accommodation is open. I doubt the innkeepers would throw out there best drinks and traditions just like that. It will be monitored of course, if a drunk man was seen on the island those nuns would know where to go, but stay relatively sober and nobody will have a problem." Killer remarked with forethought, and watched as every face lit up.

"Of course, it's impossible to keep the way of the pirate down! Enjoy yourselves tonight and tomorrow men, because in two days we'll give the island back to who it belongs!" Kidd whooped, cackling maniacally. The whole crew joined in, and loud raucous cheers echoed throughout the port for a few minutes before the doors of the convent slammed open to show an extremely irate Sister Evangeline glaring at every pirate that dared move a muscle. Everyone quieted down.

"If you... racketeers don't either move on or quiet down this instant may the divine powers have mercy on your soul for what will follow." the door was slammed shut again and silence ensued for three, two one...

"HAHAHA! She'd want to pay a little respect, especially since this island will be ours in two days." Kidd mocked, adjusting the collar of his captain's jacket confidently before turning to face the crew.

Alright, meet back at the ship this time, two days. You can stay where you want, even on the ship if you like. Food is your own problem, same with money. Myself, Killer and this idiot *gesture at Kishi* will be staying in the biggest tavern the island's got." a silent invitation was the best kind to be given from Kidd. His genuine invitations mean 'show up or else'. If he tells you where he's going, without asking you anything, it leaves the option open. Needless to say, the question was fairly pointless in the first place seeing as it was obvious who was going to stay with the captain and who would go off and do their own thing before anything was even said.

"I want to stay on the ship." Kishi complained immediately, seeing every single calamity waiting to happen should she stay with Kidd and Killer.

"With Tohru?" Killer insisted with a deadly tone. Kishi glanced over her shoulder and saw, indeed, the only two men heading back to the ship were Tohru and Matsu. Tohru for antisocial reasons, and Matsu probably just to take a break from the captain's verbal berating.

"...No." Kishi deflated visibly, she'd spent more than enough time with the ship's doctor to last ten lifetimes. And she still had to spend more, so there was no way she was going to spend any more time than necessary with the psychotic man.

"Thought so." in Kishi's ears, Killer sounded a little too smug for succeeding in something so small. The Massacre Man rarely interjected in the preferences of the crew, having no interest in them himself, so this put the fisherwoman rightfully on edge.

"The cat stays on the ship." Kidd added quickly, making sure he got his say in the way things were going to play out.

"Taiga? Why would he have to do that? He's never caused that much... okay maybe a liitle but, he's still... a-a, um..." Kishi trailed off, not able to find a single reason why the sabre-tooth should stay in the tavern with her. They probably wouldn't even let him stay, he'd gotten way too big to smuggle in and out anymore.

"Have we made ourselves clear?" both Kidd and Killer grilled the fisherwoman who sighed a little before nodding her head gloomily.

The captain and first mate began talking between each other about an adequate amount of money to pay for decent accommodations, and Kishi glanced back at the Kidd Pirates ship where a bulky vaguely-feline creature was sitting on the figurehead glaring through a single eye at anything it could see. The effect was considerably more hair-raising than when Taiga had been below knee-level.

Kishi took this chance to observe the village as she walked through the town square a few feet behind Kidd and Killer. The captain and first mate were receiving no end of weird looks, their dress-sense not being the most normal on the sea, but Kishi was being more or less ignored. So it wasn't as if they _hated _visitors exactly... it seemed more like they just weren't all that fond of weirdos like Kidd and Killer. Personally, Kishi felt she could relate to a certain extent.

The houses were shabby, not to the extreme but not exactly the grandest in the world. Dust blew through the streets and all the young people Kishi had seen were wearing habits or some form of religious symbol. Something freaky was going on here...

*_Thud*_

"Sorry." Kishi stated lazily, and moved a couple of steps back from the first mate's well muscled back. She should learn to pay as much attention to what is directly in front of her as she did her surroundings.

Glancing around the two men in front of her, Kishi read the words on the board nailed poorly into the tavern before them with difficulty.

The words 'Cut-throat' had been scribbled out an replaced with 'Hallowed' in cursive handwriting, making the inn before them now the 'Hallowed Inn' with a complex insignia underneath that Kishi could only assume had religious importance.

"You're _sure _they didn't get all the good stuff?" Kidd implored, turning towards Killer with pleading eyes.

"I don't see how they would make any money otherwise. Not many people come to this island, so alcohol for locals would be the only way as far as I can tell." Killer surmised with a nod of his head. Kidd believed in him instantly, as per usual, and stormed through the doors with a smirk in place.

The remainder of the night was more or less a blur for Kishi.

Most of the crew ended up in the same place as them, and the innkeeper had deviously revealed his methods of making sure the nuns don't interfere with his business. Apparently they patrol the town at night, but they stick to a straight schedule. Every 54.2 minutes a pair of nuns would come through the doors, give a vague check of the place, and leave again to be replaced by another pair in another 54.2 minutes.

So, the inkeeper had kept a small alarm clack that went off exactly one minute before the nuns would arrive. The drink would be hidden, and brought out again once they had left. The innkeeper had also filled the place with mulled-wine scented candles as an excuse for the scent of alcohol. All in all, Kishi was impressed by the extent a man could go to for a bit of a buzz, not that she didn't like it herself sometimes but if it was that much of a bother to go through just to get it she'd just pass on it.

"You sure know your liquor." a voice piqued from behind the counter. Kishi glanced up from sipping her Tequila Ley and met eyes with the barman, a relatively young guy in his late twenties. Good looking too in an ordinary way, chocolate brown hair with matching eyes and weathered skin, average height, pleasant face. Not exactly a typical sleazy barman.

"I've drunk enough to know the good stuff." Kishi placed the amber liquid down on the counter, ignoring the antics of the crew around her. Intelligent conversation was something she hadn't expected tonight.

"After working in a place like this you get the same way, my Dad's the innkeeper so he's got me going through the checklist for the imports and stuff. Especially before the nuns get there first." the young man's exasperated tone and facial expressions elicited a giggle from Kishi, who glanced up and met the innkeeper's son's eyes with a wry smile.

"I take it your family isn't too fond of 'The First of Forty-three Equals' either then. How does that work exactly?" Kishi inquired, not sure as to what Sister Evangeline meant. If everyone was equal, how somebody be the 'First' of them was beyond her.

"Not just us, the whole town hates them. And we don't know why she says that either. If we keep quiet she leaves faster so we never asked." he replied straight-forwardly, picking up a rag and starting to clean some of the rum casks.

"Seriously? You guys... never tried anything, anything at all?" Kishi asked cynically, not really believing what she was being told until the barman looked up and met her eyes incredulously.

"Are you telling me you'd have no problem hitting a nun?" he asked dryly, and Kishi stilled her movements completely, before relaxing her muscles in defeat.

"No." she grunted, acknowledging the fact that, in some cases, maybe being as vicious as Kidd would prove to be an asset rather than a liability.

And so it continued, well past the man's, whose name was Alfred, shift. It was later than midnight, some time in the early morning. Most of the crew were completely hung over, and had fallen unconscious in the bar. Alfred's dad, whose name Kishi still didn't know, dumped them all in a safe room before the nuns came around and asked what was happening. Only Kidd, Killer (who didn't drink), Vito (could drink alcohol like water), Zombie, Kishi and three others were still conscious and in the bar.

"Think your captain's too locked to notice you disappearing yet?" Alfred murmured good-naturedly into the fisherwoman's ear. The question was smooth, Kishi could give him that. At least he was above pick-up lines that better men have fallen victim of, and seriously, she wouldn't have minded going if it weren't for-

"Kisshhi, move 'way fr'm 'im." Kidd staggered towards the pair, and Kishi was seriously considering throwing a bucket of cold water on the captain. In fairness, he didn't _appear _drunk. Just a little flushed, and his eyes were a bit unfocused. His balance was decent too, considering he had tried to out drink the merman earlier.

"Ordinarily, I would say yes. Sorry Al." Kishi shrugged amicably as the captain stood at her shoulder glaring at the other man, or more precisely a point on the wall about five inches to the left of Alfred's head.

"I'm not stupid, he's drunk but... a bounty-head's a bounty-head." Alfred obviously agreed with Kishi's reasoning, being careful to edge away slowly from the fisherwoman in the drunken captain's presence. But not before slipping something made of soft material into Kishi's hand.

"Wass goin' on?" Kidd asked accusingly, his eyes looking remarkably sharper every second that passed.

"I've been asking Alfred here about the nuns, I thought it was weird they'd choose here to stay." Kishi made a point of not lying. She just made a point of omitting harmful truths along with it.

Kidd's eyes, more alert again, flickered to meet the barman's, who held up to arms jokingly.

"No need to worry Captain Kidd. Just saying the reason the nuns stay here is the guy on the hill through the forest." Alfred proposed, giving a sideways glance to Kishi who, instead of playing along, remained silent.

"Hill?" Kidd's voice sounded increasingly sober, but Kishi could see him struggle to make it sound like that.

"Uhuh. Some kind of voodoo man, the whole town listened to what he said, and practised what he preached once upon a time. I only remember it vaguely myself, but those nuns heard about him and kicked him out." Alfred explained in a nutshell, and Kishi could tell he wasn't just feeding the inebriated captain lies he thought he'd forget about in the morning, this stuff was true.

"So, if we wanna give th' nuns wha's comin' to em, we talk to 'im?" Kidd asked, almost excitedly. Alfred scratched his head in thought for a moment before responding.

"I don't really remember him to be honest, except he was really tall and really skinny. He might want to help he might not." he answered honestly, a slight shrug of his shoulders signifying that he was finished talking, especially when the alarm behind the counter started ringing. Panicked, Alfred gave both Kishi and Kidd a light push towards the door to the back of the room that led to the guest quarters.

"It's probably best if you disappear for the night, forget hiding the drin,k right now you're as drunk as a skunk." Alfred grimaced as Kishi took hold of the captain's elbow and steered him safely through the door.

"You know as well as I do that _I'm _perfectly sober." Kishi reflected aloud. She noticed, rather dismally, that Alfred's eyes flickered a few inches above and to the left of where her own eyes were before returning to meet her own. That's where Kidd's, probably currently glaring, eyes approximately were.

"Of course you are." Alfred snickered and rolled his eyes at the captain with the world-wide look of 'the poor girl doesn't even know what she's talking about'.

"Look after her please, will you?" Alfred asked Kidd, as if the captain would really grasp what he was saying. All he got in response was an unusually candid smile and a nod from Kidd, and a glare from the fisherwoman. The barman's eyes glued to Kishi's left hand for a little too long before coming back up to meet her eyes pointedly.

Easing off on the glare, Kishi remembered whatever he had put in her hand and hoped to anyone willing to listen that it was effective in fighting off drunken men with the power to destroy entire islands.

Probably not, but hopefully it will be a big help.

As Kidd steered Kishi back towards his room, Kishi had demanded a separate one but apparently that didn't matter anymore, she weaselled whatever what was in her hand into plain view and nearly turned back to kill Alfred. It was a small brown cloth doll, only about the size of her middle finger. It mimicked the basic human shape, but it's hands and feet ended in blunt stubs and it's eyes were drawn in some kind of kiddies marker. A red hair that looked suspiciously like Kidd's was tied around the doll's neck, and attached to that was a tiny note.

Just as Kidd was struggling to open the door knob, Kishi managed to make out the words written on the page,

"The 'how to' for Voodoo"

And then, she was dragged inside the door into the darkness with a slightly clammy hand, but sadly familiar, hand.

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Seregunda: Pretty long chapter, if I do say so myself! Hope everyone enjoyed the new chappie and remember... reviews attract plot bunnies!=3


	22. The Magical Fantastical Nathaniel

Seregunda: Thanks everyone who reviewed my last chapter (hairband, Radioactive-Pingu, loser94, ichigo1508, Psychotic Tendency, sucker4villains, SerbiaTakesCntrl, Youz, Devonlizz, Justalittlebatty13, 'santa clause is a stalker', TrunksgirlBlaze27 and Moonlight Calls) I hope you all know how much kind your words mean to me, and I love you all!=3

sucker4villains: yeah, I think I'm going to up the rating, but only if a chapter completely worth the 'M' crops up! It could happen anytime really... if at all.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over their world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Pressing her ear against the door, Kishi could smell the cheap ale on Kidd's breath as he breathed heavily, a little too close for comfort but not close enough to do much damage. She could hear the pious voices of two nuns yapping about how much they wished the inn keeper would stop using mulled wine scented candles.

After pulling her into the room, Kidd had begun mumbling something incoherently, but Kishi was paying him no mind, listening intently to the sounds of movement coming from the bar. After a short while longer the nuns had probably deemed the place 'clean' and went on the their way, because moments later the bar erupted into the noise and raucousness that had filled it for the past few hours.

Sighing in relief, there was no way Kishi had wanted to face Evangeline seeing as she was the only sober 'member' of the Kidd Pirates, Kishi turned around to face Kidd. He was being uncharacteristically quiet, and his brow was furrowed as if in deep thought. Not a good combination when the captain was as drunk as he is.

"Time for bed Captain. If you want to get that voodoo man tomorrow you'll need to sleep off that hangover." Kishi snipped whatever twisted thoughts he was undoubtedly thinking at the bud, and the captain's slightly glazed-over eyes settled on hers more steadily than she would have liked.

"No." he was clearly struggling to get his thoughts straight, but Kishi watched in mild amusement as every time he looked as if he had grabbed the train of thought he was looking for it disappeared and left him with an even more muddled look. It almost reminded her of how the young captain had started off, back when he had been clumsy enough to fall through holes in the deck he had created himself. Thinking back now, Kishi found it hard to believe this was the same immature, relatively clumsy man she had met back when she still had _Pinta_.

"Yes. Come on, you can have the window bed." Kishi said firmly, scanning the room in relief. It wasn't much, but at least there were two single beds rather than one double. The rest of the room was plain, holding only one wardrobe she wouldn't really need anyway, two bedside cabinets, a mirror and an en suite.

Kidd allowed himself to be shepherded to the bed, looking extremely confused at the turn of events as Kishi pushed him firmly down onto the mattress and tucked the sheets in around him quickly. She had always found it better to leave no option for the opposing side other than going along with what she said, and that was accomplished by completely destroying any mood that could have been developed, usually by acting like a mother hen. Which was a surprisingly big turn off for quite a lot of pirates.

"Don' wanna sleep..." Kidd was frowning again, and a hand had snaked up to tug experimentally at the edge of the blanket, which Kishi immediately tucked back in again.

"Well, what did you want to do?" Kishi asked in irritation, hands on hips and hoping to anyone willing to listen to her that the captain wouldn't remember what he obviously did have in mind when they had left Alfred.

"Um... I, uh-" Kishi thanked her lucky stars for alcohol before pressing on with her argument, thankful she didn't have to go to extreme measures against the volatile captain.

"Good night Mr. Kidd. I'm tired too, so I'll talk to you in the morning." Kishi said with a large fake yawn and a stretch before walking lazily over to her side of the room. It was probably a good thing Kidd couldn't see the triumphant look on her face, he wouldn't stop until it was wiped off again, drunk or not.

Kishi restrained a laugh as she slipped off her shoes, rumbling snores were already pouring from Kidd's lips. Again, alcohol was both a pirate's best friend and greatest curse.

Kishi changed swiftly into a large shirt she used for pyjamas that she had stolen from Vito, more quickly than usual just for the fact that Kidd could wake up at any time.

Just as the fisherwoman had been about to just hop into bed for the night, the voodoo doll Alfred had given her caught her eye on the bedside table. Sitting down heavily on the edge of the bed, Kishi held the doll in front of her face, scrutinising the surface diligently.

Nothing stood out about it, if nothing else it only looked like a scrap of cloth. Glancing at Kidd, whose snores had subsided a little to snuffling, Kishi turned her eyes back to the doll steeling herself for the possible repercussions of her curiosity.

Kishi held the doll tenderly in front of her. Then slowly, and feathery light she ran the tip of her index finger down the doll's spine. A groan, almost inaudible, and the soft ruffle of fabric against fabric when Kidd shifted in his sleep.

Not quite sure whether this was a result of the doll or just Kidd's warped dreams, Kishi tried again. She placed the tip of her finger on the doll's stomach this time, and began a small barely-there rubbing motion against it.

Kidd's brow furrowed for a moment but then he suddenly shuddered violently and moaned in his sleep.

That sound was completely new to Kishi. It was a sound that she had never thought, or even thought about wanting to hear. Blood rushed to her face, and she all but threw the doll back onto the bedside table and hid her face in her hands.

She didn't know what she had expected, but that hadn't been it. She'd probably expected him to wake up and start screaming at her for poking him or something. But no matter how different that just sounded to the Kidd she normally saw every day, Kishi wouldn't do that again. Nope, it didn't matter because once he wakes up he'll be the same bastard he's always been. That's the way he works.

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"Where is this voodoo guy? My head hurts." Vito complained, checking his nails to ensure that they hadn't become damaged during their treck. He was relieved to see they were as immaculate as always.

"That fucking bartender said he was on the hill somewhere. This ain't a hill, it's a fucking mountain!" Kidd griped, but still leading the gaggle of pirates as they traipsed through a woods on a steep slope. Even when he spoke, Kishi still felt too embarrassed to look at him.

Most of the Kidd Pirates had returned to the ship unwillingly, their hangovers being too bad to function properly, and only five members remained. Those being Kidd, Killer, Vito, Zombie and Kishi who everybody thought was being unusually quiet. Taiga, being an animal, didn't count and wandered to and from the group at will. He had been sitting outside the tavern when they had left that morning, attracting more than a few stares from the villagers.

"Well, it would not have been a good idea for him to stay somewhere the nuns could get to him easily." Killer interjected, before Kidd could go off on a tangent.

"I think he lied to us." Kidd grumbled, crossing his arms and stomping a few paces ahead of the group. Trampling the undergrowth completely.

"He seemed like an honest guy to me." Vito yawned so deeply the gills lining the back of his throat were visible.

"He was a prick. Anybody with a name like Alphonse has to be." Kidd protested, not even noticing the disbelieving look his first mate shot him.

"Alfred." the masked man sighed, not really in the mood to correct the captain.

"Even worse." Kidd growled, stomping a rhododendron into the ground and walking in a straight line.

"Speaking of _bad _Kishi..." Vito broke the conversation off and sidled back to the silent fisherwoman, who raised both eyebrows questioningly.

Killer lost interest immediately, knowing where this was going and deciding to not waste his time and scan the area for signs of human interference. Nothing major, just broken branches and turned up stones like even a rabbit could cause. Especially when compared with the freeway-size path Kidd had been carving up the side of the mountain for the morning.

"-nd don't think I didn't notice Alfred chatting you up, how far did _that _one go? First base? Second?" Vito pressed smugly, even though he had nothing to be proud about. It was just the way he spoke.

"Neither." Kishi shrugged, ruffling Taiga's ears as he ambled back to the group of pirates easily. His paws were better suited to the terrain than any of the humans.

Killer had noticed the animals' homes were, by and large, undisturbed. So either this voodoo man was of no threat to them or nobody lived up this way.

"_What_? You sly bitch, and I always thought you looked down on me for third basing on the first night." Vito chuckled, dark-humoured, not seeming to notice the ominous mood that had overtaken the group of pirates. Zombie had walked ahead hurriedly to catch up to the first mate to begin a conversation on something, anything, before Kidd blew a gasket.

"Not the case either, sorry to disappoint." Kishi drawled sarcastically, flicking Taiga's ear before straightening back up again. Vito looked remarkably disappointed considering he had no business in her social life.

"You're unbelievable. What, only logias are good enough for you?" Vito scoffed, and the violent tension from Kidd eased to be replaced by another kind. Curiosity.

"If you take this point any further, I'll show you just what I can do with a few hooks." Kishi's voice was venom. Her tone laced with baneful ill-intent. Vito took the hint and clammed up, much to the chagrin of everybody listening. It had sounded as if it were about to get interesting.

"Who here is invading my space paradisiacal? I find it most disagreeable."a voice chanted, startling all but Killer who seemed to have noticed the... thing's presence before anyone.

Alfred hadn't lied. The man (if it was a man) was tall, and built like a bean pole. A crudely carved wooden skull mask covered the upper half of his face, and the awkwardly cut teeth stopped just above the flesh man's upper lip. Beady red eyes peered through the perfect circles carved as eye holes, and a long mane of shaggy black hair ran from the man's scalp to the base of his spine. His skin was a carmel brown. His choice of clothing was a simple brown loincloth and a necklace of what looked like animal fangs.

"I take it you are the voodoo man who used to live in the town?" Killer spoke easily, completely unaffected by the man's unusual appearance unlike everyone else.

"I am the man you speak of who is magical." he replied, tightening his grip on a spear with what looked like a miniature boar stuck on the end.

"Then we've got some business to take care of." Kidd voiced up, a lopsided smirk adorning his face. The feral man relaxed visibly, seeing that his dinner wasn't what his visitors were after.

"I am afraid our encounters must have been minimal. My memory seems to be most forgetful." the voodoo man scratched his head as Killer broke in, trying to get down to business once again.

"You don't know us, but know of you. Your assistance on a matter of importance would be appreciated." Killer's tone was the embodiment of cool, something the voodoo man seemed to take in his stride.

"Follow me, crew most evil. I will lead you to my abode internal. There we will speak of these matters critical." the man's speech patters amused Kishi to no end. How he kept ending every sentence with an 'L' sound probably took a lot of practice. Pointless, sure, but still entertaining.

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"For a man magical, this is a subject most untouchable." the voodoo man said again, even more firmly than the last few times. Killer had explained the situation first, and asked plainly for help. Failure.

Zombie had asked with the subservience of a butler, politeness built into the fabric of his being weeping out as he spoke. Failure.

Vito begged, completely shot of any pride a pirate should have. A look of disgust and a denial later had Vito bustling over to Kishi for comfort.

And finally, Kidd had ordered on threat of the voodoo man's life and everyone on the island which led to where the crew was now. Sitting in a cave near the top of the mountain with ugly furniture carved from rock or wood scattered about the place and animal furs strewn across the floor as a makeshift blanket.

"I thought you'd hate the nuns for forcing you out of the village." Kishi observed aloud, not flinching when the man's mask shifted immediately to settle on her.

"I despise them in a manner inexorable. Their nature for 'religious' ones I find despicable." the voodoo man replied, not batting an eyelid when all hell broke loose.

"If you hate them then why the hell won't you help us _get rid of them_!" Kidd screeched, banging his fist down on a rock table.

"Voodoo is a magic unnatural. Women such as those prevent it's use continual, as their God is a man most powerful." he explained. Kishi didn't understand the majority of the story she knew backed his words up, but from what she gathered of the voodoo man's speech those nuns weren't what they appeared to be. And their God is a _man _most powerful.

A man most powerful could mean only too many things...

The marines. Pirates. Bandits. Devil fruit users. General people who caused others headaches.

"Thank you Mr. Voodoo. Even if that's all you can give us, I'm grateful." Kishi smiled lightly, the cogs in her head turning fast to figure out the rest of the encrypted speech. If there was anything else hidden.

"While voodoo is my occupation favorable, Nathaniel is my name preferential." the feral man smiled, and Kishi grinned back. She didn't know why, but she did.

"So we're just going to beat them up, right? Like we always do, no more sneaking around like weaklings?" Kidd whined as soon as they left Nathaniel's cave, happier than he should have been that the voodoo man refused to help them. The fact that he wasn't even a_ little _annoyed spoke in volumes.

"He knew something he wasn't telling us." Zombie stated blandly, causing only Vito and Kidd to turn to look at him in disbelief.

"Really? I could barely understand anything he was saying!" Vito laughed, not bothered in the least by letting everyone know his intelligence. Although Kidd didn't admit it, Kishi could tell the plain-spoken captain also had trouble wrapping his mind around the voodoo man's twisted words.

Killer glanced at Kishi, who grinned up at him disarmingly, only to have him turn his head away again sharply. Kishi frowned. She used to think the masked man liked her, then hated her, liked her and now hates her again. Either he PMS's more often than any girl she knew, or she was continually doing things to piss him off.

Either way, something was up. She could tell he wanted her on the ship about as much as she did, for whatever reason, and that made him an ally of hers. Tohru didn't count in that aspect, he wanted her thrown overboard in as many pieces as possible. Preferably with every disease known to mankind. No, Tohru was not a friend of Kishi's.

"-so that means the day after tomorrow we get 'em. Alright? Good, now that that's understood I want food. And not the crap in that taverneither, Jun had better have the kitchen open when we get back to the ship." Kidd grumbled to Vito and Zombie.

Killer looked alarmed for a second, but calmed down again. There was no need to fret about something Kidd was going to do anyway, it didn't matter if you agreed with it or not.

"So, the day after tomorrow we attack the nuns. Tomorrow will be spent gathering any necessary information for this attack. When we get back, make sure the whole crew knows about this." Killer repeated, probably only to make it look as if he were in control.

A mumbled chorus of 'aye' followed, and the crew members traipsed down to the foot of the mountain again. The remainder of their stay sounded as if it was going to be interesting.

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Seregunda: I know, that was sort of a mean chapter. Oh well, I hope you enjoyed it all the same! Thanks for reading everyone, and please remember to review! They make me happy, and attract plot bunnies! Double bonus!^-^


	23. The Wrath of Azarath

Seregunda: Back again! For once, I have an excuse for not updating! My laptop had been plagued by viruses for weeks and just as I had gotten rid of them, I broke my writing hand in a match, not fun. So, here it is, a very delayed update and I'm very sorry for the wait! ^-^'

Thank you: Annabelle, sucker4villains, setsuka510, Elthia, Mayacompany, DamnBlackHeart, hairband, Youz, Moonlight Calls, ichigo1508, Off-Color, TrunksgirlBlaze27 and Radioactive-Pingu for reviewing my story and making me happy! :)

Seregunda: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over their world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Seconds turned to minutes to hours to a day before Kishi got her mind around exactly what the crew was, or wasn't, doing.

Their day of 'information gathering' was a huge flop and every member of the Kidd Pirates involved in that particular mission came back reeking of rum with glazed-over eyes. The members who hadn't been involved (namely Kishi, Kidd, Killer and Tohru) more or less turned a blind eyes towards it and prepared themselves alone for the battle ahead. You could only do so much about idiots.

It was four in the morning, the day of the attack, and everything was set to go at five. The crew, newly recovered from their hangovers, were tense with apprehension. Technically, this would be the first pirate-worthy thing they had taken part in since arriving in the New World.

"We're not prepared." Killer grumbled half-heartedly, knowing the captain was going to do anything but listen.

"We'll manage. I'll tear the Head Bitch's heart out and feed it to the sabretooth." Kidd grinned manically, for once eying Taiga with something other than revulsion.

"At least Tohru's a good doctor, he'll make sure none of you die." Kishi tried optimistically, a vain attempt at raising the Massacre Man's spirits.

"'You'? You are aware you are as much a crew member now as everyone else, sadly it's time to think of yourself as such." Killer sighed derogatorily, Kishi bristled for a moment but relaxed herself quickly. Fighting before they even set out would be a horrible idea.

"A nice thought to be sure, but I was thinking more along the lines of 'you'. As in, if I'm injured there is no way in hell Tohru will find it in his void of a heart to heal me." Kishi explained simply. Killer thought for a second before nodding curtly, knowing this was the truth.

Kidd, too excited to pay much notice to the conversation the two were having, went to give a thorough inspection of the assembled crew members who looked ready for action now. If they were told to wait much longer they'd probably explode.

"During this battle, while Kidd is distracted, make a run for it back to Saboady." Killer said so calmly, it took a few seconds for the words to register in Kishi's mind.

"E-escape? Wouldn't he just come back to get me and probably kill me?" Kishi asked slowly, incredulously. As if Killer had just told her she would sprout wings and fly away.

"Not if you go backwards. He'd run after you anywhere, as long as it doesn't impede too much on his dream. Forwards, sideways, either are fine. But there's nobody on the planet that Kidd would backtrack for." Killer said finally, and Kishi knew he was serious. She was surprised she hadn't thought of it herself actually.

"I'll think about it, if there's an opportunity to anyway. Could you tell me one thing first though? Please?" Kishi added, determined to get her answer. Kiler looked at her steadily for a few moments, glanced over at the rest of the deck to ensure the others were still busy and not listening, before nodding solemnly.

"Why are you so eager to get me off the ship? I'm sure I don't do _that _much to bother you, and you're going directly against what Kidd's been ordering." Kishi asked curiously, genuinely interested in what Killer would answer with.

"Because the captain doesn't know what his best interests are. He is going to be great, I know he is as do you. But your presence impedes on his progress, he wastes his time now which he never did before. He trains less. When you were staying on Law's submarine, Kidd resumed his old schedule. When you came back it dissipated again. Therefore, your absence is good for Kidd's progress and as his First Mate it is my duty to ensure Kidd becomes the best he can be. Which is only possible _without _you." Killer answered coolly.

Finally, the Massacre Man made sense to Kishi. It was nothing personal but he wanted, no needed, her gone.

"If I get the opportunity I'm more likely to take it than not to, but I'm not about to kill myself to please you either. I've got Taiga for help now, and Tohru's lessons have made me a lot more able. I'm still not a threat to you or Kidd, but I'd be well able to get away." Kishi announced after carefully going over all the statisitcs in her head.

Alone she would have a 57% chance of escaping alive during the fray.

Including Taiga, she had about 72% chance of getting out alive, it would be higher but he'd probably weigh down the boat they'd take.

"That is acceptable. During the fight, Kidd will either keep you at his side or not let you fight at all. If he brings you with him, don't fight it. I am aware it will make escape more difficult but struggling will alert him to your intentions. Act wisely." Killer said as a final act of advice before moving out to fix the damage to the ranks Kidd had undoubtably caused during his excitement.

Kishi sighed, and edged her way into the line between Vito and Jun, neither of which looked very enthusiastic about the upcoming battle. Looking sideways at the two men she trusted the most on the ship, Kishi steeled herself as Kidd came to a halt in front of the assembled crew with Killer trailing along behind him.

She knew something was going to make this entire operation ten times more complicated than it needed to be.

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Duck, spring up, grab hair, pull head backwards and use the velocity of the fall to snap the neck on your knee. It was a move Tohru had shown her many times, and probably demonstrated a little too enthusiastically too.

The sickening crack of the guards neck shot a shiver up her spine, but Kishi continued running desperately to catch up to Kidd who was bashing his way through the crowd at a pace that shouldn't be possible.

Killer's prediction had come true of course. Kidd had dragged herself and Taiga with him, he seemed truely intent on getting the sabre-tooth to eat the old woman's heart. Kishi didn't know how to tell him Taiga probably wouldn't, he'd already taken a bite out of Matsu's leg and spat it out again. Human flesh didn't seem to appeal to the carnivore, oddly enough.

They were in the convent which, contrary to the outside, was actually enormous. Immediately inside was a flight of stairs leading down to a cavern where the entire crew had to split up and spread out. Kishi suspected it fanned out under the entire island.

Nathaniel had been right to never oppose the nuns, he had been right to believe whatever they had on their side was too powerful to oppose. The guard whose neck Kishi had broken seconds before stood up, cracked it back into place and resumed running after the two pirates once more, it's empty eye sockets void of everything but the death it had endured and inflicted.

"How're we even going to reach those nuns if we can't kill these things?" Kishi cried desperately at Kidd's back, delivering a derisive kick to the skull of what looked like used to be a monk before continuing after the captain who seemed to be eternally tireless.

Kidd laughed, loudly and probably not in the least bit sanely before answering.

"They're dead, all DEAD!" Kidd roared, and the large metallic arm he had constructed over his own swiped sideways and knocked the undead things away as easily as if they were rag dolls.

Taiga covered the blind sides well, crushing bones brittle with age easily under his massive paws and using his strong, prominent teeth to crush skulls with one bite. Kishi, despite her skill and speed being up to scratch, was struggling to do half as much permanent damage as the other two.

All the walls looked the same, Kishi noticed as they thundered past yet another two sets of doors. It was like a labyrinth and they had yet to meet a single other crew member. Whether that was a good or bad sign Kishi didn't know.

Kidd swung the massive arm again and caused more damage to the building and walls than to the opposition, Kishi called out a note of warning as the ceiling started to crumble from above, but Kidd paid no mind. His pupils dilated further with the more damage he did and his attacks grew less and less focused, if he kept up this berserkerpace he'd kill Kishi and Taiga and not notice until a few days later.

Kishi shrunk back into the shadows and held on to Taiga's neck protectively, watching as Kidd destryed the enemy's defences with an almost artistic ease. She refused to close her eyes, and watched as Kidd annihilated the opposition just to remind herself of the type of person he was. To convince herself that staying wasn't an option.

Kidd lowered his fist on the last of the undead creatures and looked around, chest heaving frantically. When his eyes found the fisherwoman and her cat in the corner, Kishi tried to shrink further back. There was no recognition in his eyes, just bloodlust. He had his metal-infused arm raised by the time Kishi brought her hand into her pocket and closed it around the voodoo doll she had been given just a few days ago.

Just as the metal arm was about to make contact with her skull, Kishi wrapped her hand around the doll's entire body.

"Stop it."

Even the voice that came out of her mouth didn't sound like her own, it was cold, cruel and sounded almost like a feminine version of Kidd's own voice. It made Kishi shudder involuntarily but her tone, coupled with the fact that he could no longer move, sobered Kidd up. His dilated pupils returned more or less to normal and the contorted expression that had made it's way onto his face eased off.

"What did you do?" Kidd frowned, not quite as apologetic as he should have been. The pressure that had squeezed his arms to his ribcage had eased off the second his mind had snapped back into it's usual sedate state, but he knew what he felt even if he had been on the verge of going nuts. Something had gotten a hold of him, something invisible.

"I screamed? Shouted? Told you to stop?" Kishi answered lazily, her hand back at her side once again and a bored look on her face now that Kidd had released the metal he had gathered to clunk about her feet on the floor.

"No but... you didn't move a few seconds ago, did you?" Kidd asked curiously, glancing over his shoulder as if a huge warrior had been standing there and Kishi had neglected to tell him.

"No sir. I haven't moved since you started going ballistic. By the by, please don't do that again. I quite enjoy living." Kishi brushed the comment aside easily and walked forward, avoiding the odd bodypart that still had enough life in it to wriggle around. She was fairly sure she saw a foot walk itself away a while back when Kidd had ripped it from it's owner.

Kidd stared at the fisherwoman's back momentarily, there was no way she was telling him everything. But now wasn't the time to deal with that. It only took him several long strides to catch up to her and Taiga. Both of whom were prowling rather than hurrying or dawdling. Listening and looking long before thinking of jumping, a quality Kidd was perfectly aware he would never have.

"Feel that?" Kishi asked suddenly, standing straight up once again and staring straight ahead with wide eyes. Kidd glanced from left to right, not quite sure what he was supposed to be feeling and hoping he could see it in time to give an answer. There was nothing in the grimy passageway that was of any use to him.

"A breeze, we're not to far away from whatever it is now." Kishi murmured cautiously, and only then did Kidd notice the faint cooling sensation of the breeze on his skin and the breathy swish of Kishi's hair when she stood still.

"Good, I was starting to think there was nobody down here!" Kidd leered and took off with long, purposeful strides, his long captain's coat billowing out behind him. Kishi scurried after him and Taiga loped along beside her.

Somehow in the process of chasing after the captain, Kishi had failed to notice the tunnel getting brighter until she had exited through it's mouth into a large octagonal opening easily a couple of hundred feet wide. The floor had an intricate mosaic pattern Kishi would probably find easier to discern from a higher viewpoint but as it was all she could make out were random swirls and blobs of various colours. In the centre of the room was a large mahogany statue of some sort of deformed human with four eyes and arms wielding a staff against what looked to be normal humans trying to scale it's robe. The size difference was more terrifying than the depiction.

"Only the forty-three equals may enter this inner chamber. Tell me children, how did you get past Azarath's messengers?" a cold, clipped, all-too-familiar voice cut across Kishi's awe-stricken moment enough for her to shake free of whatever it was that had taken hold of her and turn to glare at Sister Evangeline, who had just walked around the enormous statue into their line of vision.

"I knew something freaky was going on the second I heard that 'First of Forty-three Equals' crap!" Kidd snarled, not so much as batting an eyelid when the other forty two nuns tottered out from behind the statue to stand just behind their Matron.

"I assure you, nothing but religious practices take place down here. All forty three of us can testify to that." Evangeline nodded curtly in Kidd's direction and settled her beady eyes on Kishi's suspicious form, ignoring the warning growl from Taiga.

"A poor lost lamb taken in by the devil, won't you take courage and leave his custody? The Lord shall give you his strength to carry on through all hardships." If it had been anybody else saying the exact same thing with slightly different wording, Kishi probably would have jumped at the chance. The flicker of... something in the older woman's eyes was enough to dissuade her though.

"I quite enjoy my life as it is thank you, Sister." Kishi bowed respectfully, glancing up at the statue towering over their heads once more and letting everything slide into place. If this 'Lord Azarath' was that giant four-eyed statue thing, Kishi was having nothing to do with it.

"Stop trying to steal my crew! " Kidd growled in warning, a couple of screws he had used in the tunnel rolling towards him out of the darkness. It didn't escape Evangeline's notice, whose gaze hardened.

"We have a pagen on our hands, ladies. He who deems himself above the mercy of our Lord, and seeks power for himself." That was one way to look at a devil-fruit, Kishi supposed. An odd one, but one all the same.

While Kidd ranted and raved at the Head Nun, Kishi watched as the others skittered nervously to stand around the statue and join hands. As soon as they opened their mouths, an eerie chant that seemed to grow to a volume above the physical capacity only forty two people could achieve burst free.

"_This is the prayer that we intone,_  
_Flesh to flesh and bone to bone._  
_Sinew to sinew and vein to vein,_  
_And each one shall be whole again_."

Kidd had stopped his shrieking by the time the word 'flesh' had come out of their mouths. He was listening intently, head cocked to the side, as the room began to quiver unnoticeably at first, but gradually picked up intensity and nearly escalated into an earthquake. Just as it almost became dangerous to be underground, the nuns stopped their singing and the world stopped shaking.

"Bit of an anti-climax..." Kidd muttered in a tone only Kishi could hear, it appeared even he didn't quite know what to do with the situation given to him.

Just as he had spoken, Taiga let out a roar loud enough to almost re-start the earthquake. Just as Kishi bent down to try and get him to stop, a loud cracking noise attracted her attention to the source of Taiga's distress.

A long, jagged, vertical crack had split the face of the statue in two. In spasm-like motions the crack spread down the giant's torso, split in two at the hips, and ran down both of it's legs to touch the tips of it's toes.

"_Fl...e..sh... to... Fl...e..sh..," _an aged voice, deeper than sin and more malicious than Kidd's on a bad day, croaked through the cavern. Kidd made a motion to move, but Kishi gripped his forearm warningly, if there was ever a time to intervene in whatever was happening now was not it.

"A..._nd_..._B...on...e... to... B...on...e..,"_ The sound of running feet distracted Kishi from the display everyone else was paralysed by and she turned her head slightly to see Killer, Vito and Zombie sprint into the cavern full-tilt only to come to an immediate stop as soon as they saw what was happening.

"_Si...ne...w... to... Si...ne...w... a..nd... ve...i..n... to... ve...i..n...," _The three newcomers edged their way quickly over to where Kidd and Kishi were standing, under Killer's instructions, and stared up at the great beast that now, despite the stone still on the surface, looked as if it were quivering with excitement.

"_And **I **shall be whole again_!" the voice lost all sense of submerged power, and the malignant power of whatever it had that made so many worship it became clear.

"Um... I take it we missed something important?" Vito asked sheepishly, just as a deafening rumble rolled out from the statue.


	24. Decision made, Promise broken

Seregunda: Thought I'd make up for not posting in ages by posting quickish this time! Hm... don't think this story is going to last longer than a few more chapters, don't want everything to get too drawn out!

And thanks to _Terragram, Triva_ and _noface_ for reviewing!

Seregunda: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over their world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Kishi clamped her hands down over her ears at the sheer volume of the screech emitted from the 'statue's' mouth before realising Taiga not only had ears a lot sharper than hers, but no hands to go with it. Deciding to grin and bear it, Kishi cupped her hands around the sabretooth's ears to protect him and gritted her teeth until the sound lulled down to a low growl. That or she'd gone deaf and could no longer hear the ear-splitting scream anymore.

Everyone in the room had frozen stock-still and nobody had the courage to take a breath. Not even the nuns who summoned it. Kishi was beginning to have a horrible suspicion that this was their first time ever actually managing to lure the great beast before them to earth, and now they didn't quite know what to do with it.

Kishi lifted her hands slowly from Taiga's ears, who glanced up at her gratefully before fixing his eyes on the figure of Evangeline stepping towards the great hulking mass of teeth, eye and bone.

"I am Sister Evangeline, the First of your Forty-three Equals. My Lord Azarath, these non-believers dare intrude your sanctuary, I beseech you do what is right as Lord of all the Earth!" Kishi had to give the old woman credit for even mustering up the courage to speak in front of the creature that had now fixed all four of it's dark almost beetle-like eyes on her quivering form.

'Azarath' leaned forward to look at the nun more closely, so far forward that it's thick black cloak fell open to reveal spindly half-decayed arms and a bare sunken torso in which every rib could be seen and counted. The skin was stretched so tight over it's form, Kishi reckoned she could almost make out the yellowness of it's bones.

Evangeline, deeming this act of curiosity as one of agreement, smirked triumphantly as Azarath reached one of those arms out towards her slowly. At the end of each emaciated finger was a salient obsidian claw that shimmered precariously in the half-light of the cavern.

On bated breath, every nun and pirate alike watched as the gaunt hand edged ever closer to the First until it came to a sudden stop mere inches from her body. She herself was only about the size of the creature's thumb at most.

The silence that followed was the loudest Kishi had ever heard. It might have lasted seconds or minutes or hours, but it stopped the second the overbearing nun opened her mouth to speak. A sound never had it's chance to come out.

It was too fast, much faster than would be expected of a colossal creature like Azarath. In the split-second the elder nun had opened her mouth, Azarath's hand shot forward and stuck it's claw right through her stomach and lifted her into the air like a ragdoll. It looked at her for a few seconds in mild interest before, without warning, it appeared that it's head swung open on a hinge just below it's four eyes to leave a terrible gaping grin literally from ear to ear in it's place. The First was thrown in without so much as a sermon.

This snapped all the onlooker's out of their trance. The nuns started some babble about how the First had been 'chosen' above them all, nobody felt like telling them she probably just pissed Azarath off more than the others did.

"Bait my hook and cast my net, he got to her before I did!" Vito choked out weakly, trying in vain to act as if what had happened did not bother him and as if the once-statues eyes were not now fixated curiously on the gaggle of pirates.

"You're welcome to go try and get her back." Kidd disclosed uncertainly, remembering the rows of shark-like teeth that had shown themselves when it had opened it's 'mouth'. Vito squeaked an objection and edged closer to Killer as the behemoth began creeping towards them.

"I suggest we run?" Kishi winced, knowing the answer before Kidd even opened his mouth.

"No way, we're gonna make our names known in the New World on this island! Running away isn't an option!" Kidd clicked his tongue in annoyance, watching the giant's almost-clumsy movements with disdain, knowing the speed and dexterity it really had under that cloak.

Kishi pointedly ignored Killer's eyes boring a hole into the side of her head with their probing stare. If an opportunity had arisen, did he really think she would choose to stay?

"Killer, are the rest of the men still in the maze?" Kidd asked quietly, snapping Killer's attention from Kishi easily.

"Yes captain, they are having trouble keeping the undead... dead." Killer intoned. Kishi would almost have thought none of this bothered the Massacre Man if it hadn't been for his slightly-too-tight grip on the handle of his scythe.

"Weak, the lot of them." Kidd spat, and Kishi couldn't have discerned whether he was talking about his own crew or the hordes of undead if you paid her.

A light creaking noise distracted the assembled crew members and, glancing up, they jumped quickly to avoid a claw-like hand slamming into the earth where they had just been standing.

Kishi leaped onto Taiga's back in midair and, upon landing, let him bound out of harms way with Vito clinging to his tail.

"Bloody jaunty jackanape!" Vito swore, wincing as he lowered himself to the floor only to see his tailfin skinned and oozing a steady trickle of blood from a large gash. Azarath had missed the majority of the crew, but had caught the end of Vito's tail.

"You said it." Kishi murmured, her eyes widened as she watched Kidd slam into the creature with about twenty tonnes of metal. Followed quickly by Killer running up the trail left by the Captain in midair to slash at one of the many eyes adorning it's skull.

Tearing her eyes away from the scene before her and completely ignoring the screaming cries of the forty-two leftovers, Kishi leaned Vito up against the wall and looked at his tail. If he were a human, she'd have no idea how to tell whether he was going to be okay or not. Thankfully, the make-up of the lower half of mermen is more or less the same as an ordinary fish. Something Kishi knew very well. Which was a good thing seeinf as Tohru's lessons involved only fighting and nothing medical.

Kishi jumped with a start as Azarath snatched another nun from the mozaic floor, and tossed her into the air before closing it's jaws again with a snap around her flailing body. Kishi winced and glanced down at the injury before her, glad it was only superficial.

"I'm fine, aren't I?" Vito grunted out, a small smirk playing across his features as Kidd shot thousands of huge metal splinters at the large once-statue.

"Yeah more or les, but how did you..." Kishi began, but the merman cut her off.

"Because it hurts like a bitch, if I was dying it'd be going numb by now." Vito scowled, and Kishi could only wonder at the miraculous change in the handsome young man over the past few months.

"I suppose it would, huh?" Kishi let out a nervous laugh and looked over her shoulder as Azarath nailed Killer with a chunk of the wall it had torn out prior. She hoped nobody actually expected her to join in, she'd gotten stronger yes, but that was restricted to purely human levels.

So her choices were stay and fight and probably die, tend to Vito and get given out to later for not helping properly, or run. If running away was ever going to be possible, now would be the best time.

"You're going to leave, right? Killer said you would." Vito interrupted her thoughts, a pensive look on his face. Kishi was surprised he had anything other than the fight at hand in mind.

"I will try, but it's going to have to be at the right time." Kishi replied carefully, trying to read the merman's oddly impassive face.

"Like now?" He asked again, a flicker of irritation behind his eyes this time.

"Very like now." Kishi answered, still unsure of whether or not she should be leaving right now or not.

"Killer told me to let you leave. And tell the Captain I have no idea how you got away." He continued.

"That sure was thoughtful of him." Kishi murmured, standing up lightly, ruffling Taiga's ears fondly and glancing once more at the battle before her. It looked as if the two supernovae were having a lot of difficulty with this one. Zombie was already lying unconscious on the floor some way off.

Kishi took a deep breath, steeled herself, and was just about to turn and face one of the many tunnels leading out of the cavern when a hand clamped down one her shoulder with a vice-like grip.

"The merman will live, go help your crew mates." a deep voice hissed, and Kishi flicked her eyes over to see a doctor covered in scrapes, cuts and bruises but otherwise unharmed standing over her with a menacing expression. Jun, Matsu and the rest of the crew were spilling out of the tunnel from behind the white-haired young man and staring up at the apparition in horror.

The chance lost, Kishi tapped Taiga's shoulder comfortingly before swinging her leg over his back and settling down into a mobile position.

"Here goes boy, hyah!" Kishi called out and nudged the sabretooth in the ribs. The large cat sprung into action, literally, and shot towards the battling three. Five hundred and forty pounds of pure muscle.

"What the hell, get back you nutcase!" Kidd screamed, shaking his fist at the fisherwoman who was fiddling with her hunting harpoon that she had strapped to her back.

"I'd rather take my chances here with this thing than back there with him!" Kishi jerked her thumb over her shoulder at where Tohru was wrapping up Vito's tail diligently and gently like a true doctor should. He probably wouldn't be that gentle if it had been Kishi lying there with a gash in her leg.

Kidd glanced over his shoulder, scowled, and gave up arguing. His breaths were coming in pants, and his knees were bowed and shaking from lack of energy. Killer, although standing with perfect posture as always, was in more or less the same shape.

A skeletal hand shot out again, and Taiga jumped onto it this time rather than over it. Running along the threadbare arms in no time flat, Kishi had her hunting knife out and was preparing herself for what she was doing. It was no different really to what she did every other week, except this time it wasn't scales or fangs she was planning on hacking out.

Using the harpoon she had readied beforehand, Kishi embedded the silver weapon deep into the space between the creatures shoulderblade as Taiga sprung from Azarath's left shoulder once reaching the top. Kishi allowed herself to be separated from the big cat and turned her body in midair as she had done countless times throughout her life.

Using her body weight, Kishi used the harpoon to swing around to the front of the demon and when in a position just above the creature's sunken nose, she let go.

In the split second it took for Kishi to fall onto it's face, she had already gotten a good grip on her hunting dagger. It was a matter of timing, honed with time, and she embedded it deep into the creature's second eye and dragged it down as if she were cutting through butter.

There was silence for a mere second as Kishi stood there panting, barely believing what she had done, before all hell broke loose. Two of the creature's four eyes were now useless, both on the same side.

Azarath screamed, differently to when it had before. This time it was an unearthly shriek of pain and frustration as it started to flail around, which, in a cavern only just about big enough to hold something as large as this particular demon, was not the best idea.

It's flailing limbs started hitting the walls, the floor, the ceiling anything that could possibly cause a cave-in it hit.

One particularly hard hit had Kishi clinging to her knife for dear life as she was thrown to and fro and finally off as her knife came loose. Just as Kishi began to fall, so did rocks from the ceiling. She closed her eyes, prayed and turned to face the ground as she fell so she wouldn't know whether she was about to be squashed or not.

Without warning, Kishi met with another body mid-fall. One hard enough to wind her on impact. Lithe arms threw her over a shoulder and the fisherwoman felt something bristly tickle her nose.

Moments later, she was on the floor again. Eyes open, and dumped at a disgruntled Massacre Man's feet.

"Thanks Killer." Kishi groaned softly, knowing how much mental effort it took for the first mate to decide to save her when er dying would be the best possible thing for the crew at the moment.

"Good work." was all she got in return, but that was enough to tell her why he had done it. Killer hated owing people more than she or even Kidd did. Her completely destroying the sight of Azarath's right side was a major help to them.

Kishi never got a chance to reply, the careening body of Azarath flinging itself around was causing more rocks to fall from the ceiling. So many, in fact, the a large crack appeared in the roof above their heads.

"Shit." Kidd grunted and motioned for everybody to move nearer to him. Kishi did so without arguing, and watched as Tohru picked up the fallen merman and slung him over his shoulder before running over to them at an admirabe speed considering the weight of the merman's tail.

The crew scrambled to be near their Captain, who was already gathering every piece of metal he could to form a suitable barrier around them.

The fisherwoman noticed that the nuns had fled into the tunnels a while back and vaguely wondered whether the tunnels had collapsed on them or not.

Kishi grinned deliriously as she watched her harpoon pull itself out of Azarath's back and join all the other metallic objects. At least now she wouldn't have to buy a new one.

The first rock hit the barrier before it was ready, causing part of it to crumble immediately.

"Could you not wait just two more minutes?" Kidd grumbled loudly, his face sweating from exertion as he patched upt the hole and reinforced it quickly. The next rock and the ones after it bounced off harmlessly. That is, until the space at the side of the barrier began to build up with rocks and spilled over the top too.

It was pitch black inside the barrier, and the only thing letting the crew know the roof was still caving in was the dull rumble coming from about two metres above them. Until it stopped anyway.

"H-how are we going t-t-to get out?" Matsu stuttered, his quick brain already working on calculating how many metres of pure rock was above their heads.

"I'll just push." Kidd smirked arrogantly, feeling superior to all those around him now. Kishi, not sure if he would actually be able to pull this off, watched for signs of strain worriedly.

Kidd grunted loudly, veins popped in his forehead as he widened his stance and raised his hands above his head. The metal above them creaked ominously as it heaved against who-knows-how-much dirt.

Whatever amount of rock was held above them, it wasn't enough to stop the spitfire Captain Kidd. Slivers of light began spilling through the tiny gaps between pieces of metal until finally there was no dirt left above the barrier and Kidd had risen them all above ground level.

Well, the ground level of the cavern anyway. The crew were now standing on normal ground, hundreds of feet above where they had been mere moments ago.

Azarath too looked only a little disorientated by the sunlight it had not seen in years, and stepped out of the massive hole it had created earlier. Kishi was horrified to find out that it had been stooping in the cavern to fit, and was actually about thirty feet taller than she had first believed. The extra height didn't stop it from being totally blind on one side though.

And so the fight began anew with a different vigour. While in the open space Azarath could move more freely han it had down below, so too could the pirates who had more room to cooperate.

Kishi, deciding this time it actually wasn't her place to join in, sat next to Vito easily a hundred yards from the battle and watched distractedly.

"You didn't get the chance to run away." Vito noted aloud, not really caring who heard them seeing as their only companions were an unconscious Zombie and a sabre-tooth.

"That I didn't." Kishi nodded in acknowledgement, the corner of her mouth twitching as Kidd drove an enormous spike through the gut of the overgrown monster.

"You don't sound very upset..." Vito hinted straightening up and deciding not to mention the weird looking doll Kishi had taken out of her pocket and begun turning over.

"You know what? I don't think I am." she responded lightly, surprised to find she was telling the truth. She pulled the strand of red hair she had tied around the doll off and threw it to the wind. If things started getting ugly later, she could always get another. But if it was sitting there in her pocket ready to go, the temptation would be too much for her.

"So you're going to stay?" Vito yelled out, absolutely thrilled by this revelation as the rest of the crew ran towards Kidd to congratulate him who stood there in shock, looking at the enormous crumpled black form before him.

"If I have the choice and I'm not killed in the process, I don't see why not." Kishi smiled softly as Vito's surprisingly strong arms enveloped her, but that smile turned into a scream as he threw her up into the air only to catch her again. An impressive feat by someone sitting down to be sure, but not something the object of such attention was focused on could appreciate.

Kidd, ecstatic and on a high from his victory, didn't hear this exchange. Killer, as cool and calculating as ever, did. Which brought the well oiled cogs of his mind to start turning once again.

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Seregunda: Thank God that bit's finished, it was starting to annoy me! Really long fight scenes aren't something I enjoy writing all that much because I'm convinced they aren't my forte, I hope it didn't come across to obviously in my writing! Remember R&R please my poor abused readers who put up with such a painful updater! ^-^

PS: for those who don't get it, the doll is a VOODOO doll and did not kill Azarath. Azarath died from the giant spike that went through his gut, which I wrote two paragraphs above. Her taking the hair off (which was the only thing tying the doll's body to Kidd's) meant that she wasn't going to use it against Kidd after seeing him beat such a big monster.


	25. Taiga's relapse

Seregunda: Not much longer now! :)

And for those who don't get it, the doll is a VOODOO doll and did not kill Azarath. Azarath died from the giant spike that went through his gut, which I wrote two paragraphs above. Her taking the hair off (which was the only thing tying the doll's body to Kidd's) meant that she wasn't going to use it against Kidd after seeing him beat such a big monster.

And thanks to _Questions, Radioactive-Pingu_ and _noface_ for reviewing!

Seregunda: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over their world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Taiga, the crew had decided, had not in fact calmed down with his new size and it had not been 'small-cat-syndrome' that had spurred on his behaviour. They figured he had simply been biding his time until now when he could cause some real damage while the entire crew was still celebrating their (Kidd's) win against Azarath.

Kishi couldn't say she was surprised nobody gave her the least bit of credit for being the person who blinded the creature. Other than Jun, Vito had been too battered at the time to watch properly, nobody congratulated her or exclaimed their surprise at her dexterity or courage. That was why, when she saw Taiga creep into the men's quarters that morning, she said and did nothing. It wasn't like Kidd would kick the sabre-tooth out now that he was actually an asset as well as a liability.

While the crew was still nursing their splitting headaches (or split sides as the case may be considering how involved they had been in battle) from the casks of rum they had bought from the'Hallowed' Inn who were already selling alcohol in broad daylight now that all the nuns had mysteriously vanished, was when the large sabre-tooth struck. Mayhem ensued.

Thankfully, nobody was permanently damaged and/or traumatised. His old tricks (urinating on clothes, shredding hammocks and destroying precious trinkets that reminded the crew of the families they had left behind) were a lot more effective with his new size. Finishing his business, the medical wing caught the overgrown cat's single emerald eye.

While his old tricks had always amused the fisherwoman, Taiga had never directly bothered the doctor that put so much of his energy into making Kishi's life as difficult to live as possible until today. Unusually, the doctor had joined in last night's festivities and was sleeping in the corner of the room on a futon rather than the hammock everyody else in the crew made do with.

Taiga had slunk inconspicuously into the room, prowling like the predator he had always longed to be even as an overstuffed ships' cat. Once at the demon-in-disguise's bedside, he let out a roar that might have rivalled Azarath's in volume.

To say Tohru almost had a heart attack would be an understatement. He had leaped out of bed, a scalpel that he kept under his pillow tight in his hand, and 'gracefully' walloped his head off a shelf hanging over the stiff mattress he chose as a bed.

Cursing loudly, he clutched the back of his head which had been throbbing anyway due to the amount of alcohol he had consumed, and glared at the cat who seemed to be smirking derisively at him in it's own way, twitching one whisker at a time.

"I'll gut you so badly even that purple-haired witch won't recognise you!" Tohru growled, eyes narrowing dangerously as he straightened up and took a single step towards the feline who bolted immediately towards the door. Despite Taiga's recent... enhancements, the doctor's speed was far superior and the door was slammed shut as the sabre-tooth was a mere two feet away.

The scuffle that followed could be heard all throughout the ship, and is what woke the crew members with even the worst hangovers that morning.

Despite Tohru's superior speed, there was very little that could be done to catch a flailing sabre-tooth lion in a panic. Taiga threw himself against walls, shelves, doors, anything solid and immovable the big idiot threw himself against. And the worse of the two throwing himself after the feline was taking a lot more damage than the burly Taiga.

Finally, just as the sabre-tooth had tackled the wall just under a fully-stocked medical shelf and moved away to the next battering-post, Tohru, who had lunged after the cat determined to fulfill his promise, hit the wall just after him causing the contents of the shelf to tumble down onto him.

Taiga, not in the least bit worried about the man's welfare but curious as to whether or not he'd be skinned alive or not anymore, planted his rump on the floor next to the pile of both smashed and whole bottles and syringes covering the doctor's body. More than one of which were sticking into random areas of the white-haired-man's body.

Seeing that the doctor, whose eyes were now glazed over , wasn't going to be moving or thinking straight anytime soon, the sabre-tooth sat next the the shut door of the medical wing and yowled loudly until some poor idiot (it might have been Vito) got so irritated by the noise he decided to open it and got ploughed through by a four-legged wall of muscle anxious to get as far away from the scene of the crime as it could.

Confused as to why the cat was in there in the first place, and more so why it was so eager to get away, Taiga's saviour sneaked a glance through the door, faltered upon seeing the form of the doped-up doctor, and shut it closed again with a decisive snap. He didn't want to get involved in the trouble that was definitely going to follow that one.

While all this was going on, Kishi herself had been trying with all her might to avoid Killer who seemed to have taken over Tohru's position as her tormentor.

Even without seeing his face, Kishi could tell by his stance that he was irritated by her 'disappearing act' or lack there of. While she had gotten a small, curt nod after the battle from the stoic Massacre Man in recognition of what she had done, there seemed to be no chance of that being enough to put him at ease with her presence on the ship.

Thankfully the captain, who was still tired, sore and overly-injured from yesterday's efforts, didn't seem to notice this going on around him. In fact, he was in a freakishly good mood. To the extent that whenever someone met his gaze he grinned. Which scared the crew rather than relaxed them.

The reason for that was simply the fact that the bounty posters had come out today, his own had gone up by a hundred million beri, Killer's by fifty million, and Kishi had acquired one of thirty million which had just about announced to the world that she was a member of Kidd's crew now whether she liked it or not. Which she didn't mind as much as she thought she would, oddly enough. What she did mind was Kidd rubbing that fact in.

"So what should we have our vicious _Harpoon Hunter Kishi _destroy next time? Maybe a small village? Set fire to a Government building?" The Captain guffawed loudly, and Kishi scowled a little at the nickname the press had chosen for her. 'Harpoon Hunter' was hardly the most imaginative name they could have come up with, but she said nothing. Reacting to him would only encourage that kind of behaviour in the future, it was a little like training a dog. Which Kishi never had quite enough patience for.

"Hm, how about mutiny?" Kishi offered up airily, as if such a thought was entirely plausible and completely do-able. As if she wouldn't be killed the minute she grabbed her harpoon and got ready to stick it somewhere Kidd was unlikely to forget.

Whatever his thoughts on it, he shut up so in Kishi's mind that was one battle won and about a million left to decide.

They were sitting in the fairly rowdy kitchen, with smells of spices and sweetmeats wafting through the air. Jun really had improved greatly since Kishi had first arrived on the ship, although under her tutorage it was still mostly fish he was able to cook well seeing as neither of them ever had much experience cooking other dishes. And with nobody around to teach either of them it was a slow process that Jun seemed to be getting the hang of a lot quicker than the fisherwoman.

"If you were going to leave you would have done it yesterday." Kidd grumbled, shifting uncomfortably as Kishi's searching eyes probed his own thoroughly.

"What?" Kishi asked stupidly, not really able to believe Kidd himself had noticed what with the extent of his tunnel-vision.

"Killer told me. He said that if I saw you run for it yesterday, to let you. And if you didn't I could do what I want. I knew you wouldn't though." Kidd smirked triumphantly, leaning back in his seat as if it truly happened that way because of his influence. Kishi didn't have the heart to tell him it was probably thanks to Tohru's appearance that she was still with the crew.

"Hm I suppose so. I don't think I'd have been able to leave while watching you and Killer getting beaten into the ground by that black thing though." _Liar_, Kishi accused herself in her head. She had been thinking of doing just that at one point.

"We were _not_!" Kidd retorted, suddenly incensed enough by the conversation to slam both legs of his chair back to the ground with a determined *_clank_*.

"Mhm, yes you were. Would have been killed too if I hadn't blinded it." Kishi was getting a lot more enjoyment out of tormenting the Captain than she should be. In fact, she was comletely aware that baiting him would have had no effect on her just a few weeks ago. Now it entertained her to no end.

"Would NOT!" Kidd growled, his fists clenching and unclenching on the table now. Sensing the danger, Kishi didn't respond again and merely shrugged. It was better to let the red-head simmer for now.

She already had Killer out to get her, she didn't need the Captain to do the same. Especially for something as unimportant as a few minutes' entertainment for her.

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That night, when Tohru came back around, Kishi was thankful he had been dosed with so much drugs as he seemed to have forgotten what had happened. Not that she had any idea herself, but from Vito's description of the scene she could only speculate. And none of those speculations involved her or Taiga keeping any limbs they were fond of.

Killer had found her, by herself, on deck later that night when the celebrations kicked off again. Kishi had braced herself for the onslaught of both words and scythes but had met with nothing. He had stared at her for about five minutes as she sat, frozen to the edge of the ship and left again. Kishi guessed it had something to do with his promise to Kidd that she had heard nothing about until earlier that day. She doubted it was a lie, Kidd settled things with his fist, never his mouth.

But he left without saying or doing anything, leaving Kishi sitting on the ledge bemusedly by herself once more. Taiga was still slinking around in the shadows somewhere, still not aware that Tohru did in fact have no idea what had happened earlier that day.

As she looked out at the waves, Kishi was reminded of the last time she sat out here while everyone else was celebrating. It had been one of her first real encounters with the ship's doctor. It felt like years ago, rather than the few months it actually had been.

And just like then, the raucous music preferred by the Kidd Pirates was spilling up into the cool night air, infiltrating what little peace there had been. Grumbling at the disturbance this time rather than relishing it, Kishi slipped over to where the hatch that led down to the kitchen was and closed it lightly to drown out the noise. They would still be able to open it from the inside.

"_By a lonely prison wall_  
_I heard a young girl calling_  
_Michael they are taking you away_  
_For you stole Trevelyn's corn_  
_So the young might see the morn._  
_Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay."_

It had been quite some time since Kishi had sung that song. It had come from her family's homeland, before they took to the sea because the famine had hunted them out. It was one of the catchier of them, and for some reason despite it's nature it had been picked up by other cultures recently and used for different purposes.

_**"**Low lie the Fields of Athenry  
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.  
Our love was on the wing  
we had dreams and songs to sing  
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry."_

"Why the hell are you singing that gloomy old song?" The sound of the hatch creaking open and a slightly irritated voice sounded out. Kishi glanced over her shoulder to see a shock of red hair and a pale, angular face poking up from the kitchen below.

"Felt like it." Kishi shrugged, not sure why the captain would leave the festivities set up for him.

"You hate it here _that_ badly?" Kidd raised an incredulous eyebrow and swung himself up the rest of the step to land with cat-like ease on deck. Clearly he hadn't drunk that much alcohol this time round.

"What are you... oh, no. I just have it stuck in my head is all." Kishi answered uneasily, not liking how Kidd immediately assumed the worst. It really said just how much she used to struggle. Kidd let out a barely-audible sigh of relief and meandered towards her slowly.

"Least we'll finally be away from this place." He muttered, scanning the harbour they were still docked in with undisguised hatred.

"Hm, I sort of like it here. The people are interesting, and I want to here Nathaniel speak some more." Kishi chuckled lighlty, remembering the odd, lilting phrasing the ragged mountain-man used. She could have listened to it all day.

"We're not staying."

"Never said we were."

Silence followed, but at least it was a comfortable one. They stayed like that for a while, Kishi wondered when the Captain was going to get bored and go back to the rest of the crew but gave up this train of thought when it became obvious he wasn't going to.

"_By a lonely harbour wall _  
_She watched the last star falling _  
_As that prison ship sailed out against the sky_  
_Sure she'll wait and hope and pray _  
_For her love in Botany Bay _  
_It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry_."

Kishi finished in her head, and began drumming the beat of the last chorus out with her thumb on the railing, not noticing the rigid form of her captain beside her grow more tense with every passing moment.

"Why do you hate it here?" Kidd asked suddenly. Kishi turned to look at his face in surprise, but found that he seemed to be more shocked by what he had said than she was.

"At the start you can guess why, you threatened everything I cared about. After a while it just became a habit, I suppose I only noticed that myself recently." Kishi mused aloud, ignoring the pleasantly surprised look on the captain's face.

"Well since we're asking questions now, why did you make me sta-ahn!" The rest of Kishi's sentence had been muffled by a pair of weather-beaten, chapped lips moving against her own hungrily.

This time, her connect-the-dot pattern of thinking caught up with what was happening quickly enough. All things considered, understanding that your captain had attached his mouth to your own didn't require more than a handful of IQ points though.

The thought process that had been about to push her captain away was stalled when he nipped lightly at her bottom lip. It was pushed further away when both his arms linked around her waist and began rubbing her lower back gently. And it was completely blown out of the water when he pulled her hips to his own roughly and more or less glued their bodies together.

After what seemed like a lifetime, Kishi responded.

And the kiss became a war. Which, since Kidd seemed to win everything else, Kishi was determined to win.

She threaded her fingers through his sea salt coated hair and pushed his tongue back into his own mouth with her own. Kidd didn't look like he agreed to play nice though, and began pushing back. Her fingers in his hair were distracting him a little though.

Kishi tugged his hair sharply, earning a gasp from her captain. His mouth opened further and Kishi took advantage of it. Kidd's brain seemed to go to sleep for a few moments as Kishi took control delightedly, liking the sudden dominant roll she had the chance to play.

Just as Kidd looked as if he was realising what was happenig, Kishi seperated from his mouth and kissed his neck softly. She refused to leave a single mark, but she was determined to 'win' this imaginary war now. His breaths were coming in short gasps and just-there groans that nearly made the fisherwoman blush.

She gave his hair one last tug as she seperated from his neck and looked her captain straight in his slightly hazed-over eyes.

"I think I finally win." She smirked, and had to duck as a pale fist swung at her head.

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Seregunda: alright, literally only one or two more chapters left to go now my wonderful readers! The song was 'Fields of Athenry' and nobody really knows who wrote it so I can't give credit to anyone except the Irish in general. Please remember to R&R, because it atracts plot bunnies and makes me love you! ^-^


	26. Last Chapter!

Seregunda: LAST CHAPTER, WOOHOOO! :)

And thanks to _Black Soul0011, xXxDragonxPhoenixXx, bleachXonepieceXfangurlX1025, noface, sucker4villains, Neeky-chan _and _.C H I D O R I - S H I O R I._ for reviewing!

Seregunda: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters. They're Oda's. Otherwise I would (try to) take over their world and give it to Kidd for the fun of it.

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Kidd's ship left those docks the very next day. Kishi, who had felt a little bit of regret because of her actions the night before, stayed out of the way until the ship was a good few miles out to sea.

She didn't want the itch to run away to return after finally giving in to Kidd's advances. Despite the captain's mildly psychotic tendencies, she wouldn't do that to anyone.

The fisherwoman had been confused for the better part of the morning, but that had fixed itself by mid-afternoon. There was no use in being so confused by a simple enough matter. Kishi had been aware the red head had been lusting after her longer than the captain himself had been, what she hadn't expected was for him to ever act on it.

Kishi herself hadn't expected to respond to anything he would do if that were to happen, but that sort of thing had always been impossible to predict for anyone so she chalked it down to 'unavoidable'.

Kishi was currently sitting in the women's quarters (which was still the old supply cupboard) sucking on a boiled sweet Jun had slipped her after lunch. She had been plagued by migraines all morning, but not for some bittersweet reason such as 'a confused heart' or such.

No, it was because the captain, delighted with the newfound knowledge that he alone had permission to invade the fisherwoman's personal space, kept making a habit of it at the most annoying times.

While she had been gutting the mackrel she had caught on the starboard side, he had placed his chin on her head while watching her work. During breakfast his hand was permanently around her waist. And all through the day thus far he had persisted in standing just a little too close for comfort.

Genuinely, Kishi didn't dislike the attention. She wouldn't have had a problem with it at all if she was unaware it was mostly an act to put up in front of the crew to show publicly that he had gotten his way. Within a few days, or maybe even at the end of this one, he'd have toned it back down to normal again. That was why she held her tongue really.

And she couldn't say she wasn't attracted to him. Granted, she was aware he wasn't _in_ love with her. If that was the case the young man would have driven himself crazy by now, and he probably would have held back during those many times he decided to 'discipline' her. The Captain was attractive, always had been. His unique angular features seperated him from the crowd before you even thought about the colouring. The shock of red hair, pale almost flour-like skin tone and well-chiselled body just topped it all off.

"S'not fair. I've been with you for _ages _and you still never considered me anything but a friend." Vito moped, flopping into the room through the unlocked door and throwing himself on the second bed.

"True, maybe if you actually liked me I would have reconsidered. Do I even want to know what he's been saying since I've come in here?" Kishi asked, brushing aside the merman's comment as the vain 'I'm so beautiful, love me!' quip it was.

"Probably not, I'd say you haven't done half of what he says you did." Vito replied, not looking up from where he had collapsed.

"Or even half of that." Kishi sighed dryly, not really that bothered by the zealous captain's stories. Most of the crew wouldn't believe a word of it anyway.

"Killer's looking for you though, somthin' to do with Kidd. As usual." The merman yawned tiredly, causing Kishi's eyes to snap up from where they had wandered. With a mumbled curse, Kishi straightened up and stretched all the kinks out of her back.

"Shiiiit, I thought he forgot." Kishi groaned, not looking forward to the meeting with the Massacre Man. Killer had never been known for being kind or forgiving, just ruthlessly fair. Kishi was aware she deserved some form of punishment for going against her word, something she'd always been raised not to do, but she doubted Killer would go easy on her either.

"As long as he doesn't get the cat o' nine tails out at you, you should live through it." Vito informed her helpfully, remembering with a grimace the time Killer had taken the spiked whip to the merman's back in punishment for stealing extra food from the kitchen. If Tohru was any less efficient a doctor he would have died of blood loss then and there.

"Thanks. I'll remember that while I'm having the skin torn off my back." Kishi quipped wryly. Neither the merman or the sabre-tooth sleeping on the floor so much as batted an eyelash when they heard the door close with a barely audible **clack. **

It was late afternoon on deck and, seeing as the weather was still vaguely tolerable as the next island's weather hadn't interfered with their climate yet, most of the crew was on deck. That, or they had heard Killer's declaration of 'war' against the fisherwoman and had come up from front row seats. Kishi hoped it wasn't the latter.

"At least you had either the courage or stupidity to leave your quarters. I wonder which it was?" A withering voice droned, and Kishi focused on the masked man standing in the middle of the deck.

She noticed with mounting anxiety that his scythes were unsheathed and nobody was doing anything about it. Suddenly, Kishi was glad of the harpoon she had kept strapped semi-permanently to her back since the revealing of her new nickname.

"Just stupidity is very likely." She sighed, flexing her fingers nervously. He still wasn't moving, and Kidd (the only person that would stop his new toy being damaged) was nowhere in sight.

"We understand each other then." Even though Kishi couldn't see Killer's face, she knew he was smirking. Faster than Kishi could follow, faster than she knew she could move, Killer darted forward and aimed a slash right at her neck and she whipped her harpoon from where it was strapped on her back to block him.

"Good." The Massacre Man admitted grudgingly, moving back again in a cat-like manner.

"Good enough?" Kishi called out hopefully, wishing he'd stop after one or two parries. She was very fond of keeping her head attached to her shoulders.

"Not likely." He grunted, and flashed forward again, only for the same result, but a deflection this time from the fisherwoman who was hoping the metal in her slightly-older-than-she'd-like harpoon would hold up against the onslaught of twirling scythes and angry Killer.

The crew had gathered around them in a circle now, hushed whispers of 'what's going on?' and 'a thousand beris on Killer' could be heard floating from person to person. Kishi hoped this was a test of strength to see whether she was a worthy member of the crew and not just a theatrical murder, because the crew were going to get a show one way or another.

It continued on in a similar fashion for about ten or fifteen minutes, with both opponents getting more and more surprised at Kishi's progress that everyone was unaware was happening. Except maybe Tohru, who was smirking at the sideline as if the only reason she was still alive was thanks to his tutelage alone. Granted, it played a big part, but his face was annoying the rapidly-tiring fisherwoman.

Killer was getting frustrated. His uppercuts were blocked, his scythes were getting blocked, and every kick he tried to deliver was usually taken in the fisherwoman's irritatingly solid gut with gusto but having little effect. She'd thrown very few hits at him so far, and landed even less, but despite his continuous attacking he was doing her more or less the same amount of damage that she was doing him.

She'd improved to a level which would be an asset to them in the New World. And Killer hated being proved wrong.

"Gol. D. Bloody Roger!" Kishi shrieked, just throwing herself backwards onto the deck in time to avoid the wickedly glinting scythe from thrusting through her torso. Killer had rapidly turned this into a theatrical murder.

Ducking and weaving, thrusting and blocking, Kishi fought the Massacre Man off better than she had ever believed she could. Spinning around after dodging yet another possibly lethal blow, Kishi had gripped her harpoon determinedly and was readying to slam it home into Killer's skull as she would a spear.

"What the fuck is going on?" The enraged voice brought the fisherwoman back to heer senses. Horrified with what she had nearly done to the first mate, she threw the harpoon to the deck with a single swift movement. Other than that single movement, both Kishi and Killer remained eerily still as a fuming Captain strode towards them with long, pruposeful and possibly harmful steps. The rest of the crew quickly made it look as if they were doing something productive. Kishi found in that instant she couldn't tear her eyes away from him, he had always been more beautiful when angry. Beautiful was an odd word to describe the captain, but for some reason it was the only one that came to Kishi's head.

"We were... sparring." Killer answered loftily, his voice echoing oddly from behind his mask. Kidd looked from first mate to fisherwoman, but neither's expression gave anything away. Kishi for one, was very proud of her pokerface considering the fact that she didn't have a mask to cover that part of her up.

"Is that so..." Kidd's eyes had narrowed, causing both crew member under their sharp gaze to flinch visibly, involuntarily.

Kidd had turned his back to them, probably for something like dramatic effect, when Killer turned to face Kishi and, almost as if in slow motion, gave a single solemn, accepting nod. Kishi knew even if the Massacre Man decided to regret his decision later, he wouldn't go back on it. That was something she held him in the utmost respect for, rather than superior speed, strength or intelligence.

"Kishi, you come back with me. Killer, you are excused." The Captain intoned irregularly, as if unsure of himself for a moment. As always the use of her name by the red-head came unexpectedly, Kishi doubted she'd ever get used to it. It made no difference, however, as the first mate bowed as curtly as he ever had and paced predatorily away towards the crew members who were trying to figure out what to do with the bets they had made.

"So what..." Kishi trailed off as the Captain began walking away from her. She shrugged easily and trailed after him towards his quarters, only hesitating a moment before following him through the doorway. The memories of the last time she came in here, nearly killed because of Taiga's natural ability to find trouble, were hard to squash down.

Not sure what she should be doing, Kishi sat in the wooden chair in front of Kidd's desk as he sat in the plush red satin chair behind it. His hair was such an unusual shade of red that it nearly blended into the back of the chair.

"What were you doing?" He asked tiredly, as if her every action drained what remained of his energy away. For all she knew, it did. She could sometimes have that sort of effect on people, or the complete opposite.

"Killer wasn't lying, it was a fight we both agreed to. A spar." Kishi spoke truthfully, knowing Kidd's likely negative answer before he even opened his mouth. For a man so full of confidence as a pirate, he had the oddest inferiority complex.

"Why?" A simple question, but one Kishi didn't really know how to answer. How did you tell a guy you were fighting for the right to be on a ship because his first mate thought she wasn't good for Kidd? Without him flipping out and screaming about how he wasn't a girl, and he could make his own decisions, blah, blah, blah.

"He was testing my abilities because he thought I was too weak for your crew." Kishi settled for half the story instead, knowing the consequences of telling him otherwise.

"What the hell, he should know that's my decision. I'm the freakin' Captain." Kidd grumbled settling back into his chair, knowing the fisherwoman was telling the truth.

"Hm, I'm kind of glad he did. I wanted to see how I measured up against people like you two." Kishi stood up from her seat, popping her shoulders as she did so completely aware of Kidd's eyes following her form with interest.

"Really, I would have thought living was a little more important to someone like you." Kidd sneered, but not maliciously. It was the truth, so Kishi took no offence. Living generally did have more of an appeal to her than dying in battle.

"I suppose being on this ship must have... messed up my priorities a little." Kishi growled lowly, slipping easily behind Kidd's chair and running her fingers through his coarse, amazingly red hair wonderingly.

Kidd almost purred as Kishi began tracing feather-light circles on the back of his neck with her index finger. His skin raised in goosebumps as every nerve he had seemed to focus on that one area of his body where she made contact with him.

Kishi thought the difference between when Kidd makes the first move and when she herself did was hilarious. It was oddly easy to make the usually fiery Captain as submissive as a newborn kitten. A tug of hair here, a nip there and he all but rolled over for a belly rub.

"Kidd?" Kishi sing-songed, making sure to breath on his neck while tracing the outline of the cartilage of his ear with her finger. The Captain grunted in acknowledgement, showing he was listening.

"I'm not going to go anywhere again, okay?" Kishi told him, it sounded like a reassurance despite the fact he hadn't said or done anything since she had begun spoiling him.

"Alright." It might have sounded nonchalant, and would have passed as such until the Captain opened his eyes to look up into Kishi's. They were confused, but content. Kidd was not a genius, or an idiot, but he could tell when somebody was lying to him. The truth was evident in the fisherwoman's eyes whether he looked far enough to see the full truth was a matter Kishi didn't quite get, but was unwilling to ask.

When Kidd reached his hand up to wrap around Kishi's neck and pull her down for their lips to meet, she decided he didn't quite get what she had in mind. But that was okay, the fact that she had realised she loved the Captain in the five seconds it had taken for him to stop her fight Killer could afford to stay hidden. He didn't need to know, especially since she felt she knew he didn't feel anything for her other than lust.

Kishi pulled away after one or two minutes, the crick in her neck from bending down irritating her too much. She didn't know how guys put up with it all the time.

Kidd looked a little annoyed, so she bent down once more to give him one more chaste kiss before straightening up again with a groan, her joints popping. Kidd looked mollified, so Kishi felt it alright to move towards the door.

"Hey Kishi?" She still couldn't get used to him using her name, she still remembered the time he used to call her 'Fisher-bitch'.

"Hm?" Kishi replied, one foot already out the door, ready to move again.

"If you leave, you know I'm just going to find you right? So it's not like it matters anyway." Kidd nearly started at the words coming out of his mouth, they sounded more smug and less mushy in his head.

"Ah, I know. At this rate, you'd probably even back-track for me huh?" Kishi said not-very-seriously, but not joking either. She genuinely wanted to know.

"What kind of question is _that_? Do you really think that after all that effort put into getting you to stay I wouldn't chase you back? Wouldn't take very long anyway." Kidd huffed, without hesitation and surprising the purple-haired fisherwoman a little.

Kishi had to turn away from her Captain to hide the warm smile that had crept onto her face.

"So, a stupid question then?" Kishi prompted the still confused Kidd.

"...Yes?" Kidd answered unsurely, not sure of the significance behind what he was saying, because it seemed to be having an odd effect on the fisherwoman despite the easiness of the question.

Kishi turned around once more and walked briskly over to the office desk the Captain was sitting bemusedly at, watching her every move with wide almost accusing eyes.

"Kidd?" Kishi asked, leaning heavily against the desk with both hands and a small smile he didn't know whether he liked or not on her face.

"Yeah?" Came the wary reply.

Kishi closed the gap for one more brief kiss, before pulling away mischievously. "Love you, Captain." Were the only words it took to turn Kidd's face fire-engine red and start sputtering nonsense. That response being enough for the fisherwoman at the moment, Kishi walked quickly to the door, turned, gave one quick smile to the speechless Captain, and closed the door with a quick snap.

Killer's advice always came in handy, Kishi reckoned, whether it was in the intended way or not. She'd be sure to hang on every word of his in future, if it could be the factor that turns Kidd into a mess.

"It's funny how quickly the tormetor can become the tormented." Vito commented, seemingly coming up from nowhere to stand next to the fisherwoman, who had begun beaming the second she left the Captain's quarters.

"It is, isn't it?" Kishi chuckled, not even bothering to deny it.

Killer's words and Kidd's... Kiddness had made her day. And will keep making it, she decided. Day after day from this day on.

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Seregunda: I'm finally finished my loyal, wonderful readers! Thanks so much for reading everything up until now, you seriously have no idea how much I actually do mean it! Please R&R everyone, and let me know whether you enjoyed it or not! ^-^


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